Social media plays a huge role in your internal communications plan, so don’t try to ban it.
Last year we shared a 12 month social media communication plan that you can use with your team. Social media is not just an external communication, it’s an internal communications plan too.
Many organizations have begun using Facebook Messenger, or Twitter to communicate with employees. When you begin to re-evaluate your internal communications plan take a glance back at the infographic we referenced here.
Heading into the second quarter of 2015, consider making your internal communications plan all about building relationships. No doubt, you have many social media savvy employees, for this group, you know that social media can help you not only build on the relationships you currently have but establish new ones, as well. The sky's the limit — seriously!
April
April is your month to be a good listener. You need to investigate, learn, and listen to your employees. Social media can help you learn a little more about your employees and your co-workers — this is listening. You will begin to learn their likes and dislikes simply from just listening. Involving yourself, even just a little, in your employees' lives will make a world of a difference.
It is important to be a good “listener” for your company, as well. Keep an eye on any company mentions, likes, or follows. Social media is a great way to keep up with others in your industry, even competitors. So as this month is coming to a close, start and continue, to listen throughout this quarter to your employees, your company, and your competitors on social media.
May
In May focus on communicating in new ways. Consistency is one of the most important factors when blogging or using social media. Occasionally it is important to try something new! If your blog is up and running and increasing traction try something fresh with your social media pages.
You can start hosting Twitter events. These are so fun and increasingly popular. Your goal is to own the front page of Twitter for a few hours. Now your first event may not be as big as Apple’s Key Notes, but don’t be discouraged! Practice makes perfect.
You may even want to try introducing a new social media page. Some of the most popular social media pages are Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, and Vine. You may think that some of these sites are not beneficial to your business. You would be surprised! Even with social media sites like Snapchat are gaining traction in the business world. These two suggestions, Twitter event and new social media pages, are a great way to really boost your internal communications plan. Employees want to feel a part of something. Especially if it is something that they can participate in, on the go!
June
Develop your response. We constantly talk about an employee's best response to customers, but what about the responses to your employees. With the use of social media also comes the opportunity for receiving all opinions, both positive and negative. Make sure you have a plan for how to respond to these negative comments with positive feedback. It is important with any social media plan to develop a procedure.
- Draft your internal communications plan.
- Include what is okay to be communicated through social media.
- Include what is best kept internal.
- Create a policy and procedure.
- Distribute to every employee.
- Share during new employee orientation
- It is important to let your employees know ahead of time what kind of posts are not acceptable for business use, etc.
- Review your internal communications plan annually: social media sites are constantly evolving and you want to stay on top of what’s new.
You are ready! Use this quarter to listen, try new things, develop, revisit, and refine your internal communications plan. Remember social media isn’t a scary place, you just need to have a well thought out internal communications plan in place and stick to it!
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