Instilling a sense of importance and appreciation in each and every one of your valued employees should be a priority for all employers. Unfortunately, 64% of all employees do not feel they have a strong company culture, and aside from the fact that positive company culture and job satisfaction can improve profitability for your business, a good company culture is conducive to making a positive impression on current and potential clientele. Social media plays a vital role in the unique relationship between company culture and marketing influence, and keeping a few simple ideas in mind when planning company events can help all employees become natural promoters of your business and boost its positive social influence. Here are some ideas to keep employees engaged and more likely to positively contribute to your business’s social media activity.
Outline a Clear Social Media Policy
If your business doesn’t have a social media policy in place, many employees may be hesitant to participate in interactions for fear of being subject to repercussions. This is especially true for larger companies, but some elements apply to businesses of all sizes.
“If employees are not aware as to the policies or what is okay to post, they may worry about potential repercussions of what they share and instead, not participate in social media. Make your company’s social media policy easy for employees to access at any time so they are clear on your company’s views and if there are any stipulations,” writes Todd Kunsman on EveryoneSocial.
Promote Diversity and Feedback From All Voices
In today’s society, businesses are applauded for hiring employees of all backgrounds. In fact, the number of foreign-born individuals in the U.S. population has more than quadrupled since 1965 and is expected to reach 78 million by 2065. With this in mind, it’s important to encourage and promote your business’s sense of diversity and acceptance throughout social media channels. You should be happy to listen to all employees during social media engagement opportunities as well as the planning of other culture-boosting events. Don’t be afraid to emphasize your business’s diversity and sense of acceptance throughout various social media channels — neither employees nor customers will get tired of hearing about it.
Document Engagement- and Culture-Boosting Events
Finally, it should come as no surprise that most employees respond positively and may be more likely to interact with your business’s social media posts if they promote the business’s sense of culture, engagement, and acknowledgment for employee appreciation. For example, an increasing focus on wellness resulted in more than 179 million Americans visiting spas in 2016, and many businesses are incorporating spa and wellness-related services into engagement activities. In addition to taking time to write a professional social media post outlining the activities and objectives, you should let employees know how they’ll benefit from interacting with up-and-coming content.
“Establish WIIFM (what’s in it for me) with your staff. Show them HOW they benefit from engaging and participating in social media… Adjust your expectations for specific employees and know that every single person has a contribution to make,” writes Kruse Control.
Ultimately, fostering a positive company culture is more relevant to improving social media engagement than many employers think. Employees who are engaged with their company and team members are 85% less likely to leave their company, so going the extra mile when it comes to social media influence certainly has its benefits.
“Motivate, recognize, and reward. You’re building a team of “brand advocates” who will up your social media game,” writes Kruse Control.
