As someone who is big fan of social media, I thought today I should write about the 7 benefits of social media for any sized company. I personally have seen the benefits of social media especially when it comes to putting your company out there with limited resources. In this article I will be covering the benefits of social media as well as how to ensure that you eliminate the adverse impacts of the use of social media by your employees.
What is Social Media? “Social media” is the platform that can be used by the general public using highly accessible digital technologies such as blogs, podcasts, social networks, wikis, micro-blogs and message boards. Examples include Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and SnapChat.
The 4 Benefits of Social Media
- It Communicates your brand to your audience
Social Media allows you to develop relationships that lead to purchases of your products or your services. According to Sprout Social 2019, when consumers follow a brand on social media, they are 77% more likely to buy from that brand over another.It Increases your company’s access to its audiences - It Increases your company’s access to its audiences
According to flckerleap.com South Africans spend an average of 8 hours and 32 minutes on the internet per day via any device. - It Improves the long-term cost effectiveness of your company’s communication
This leads to improved accessibility of your company’s communication as social media increases the speed of feedback and input by your customers or potential clients. Social Media also assists the company in reaching specific audiences on specific issues. - It reduces the company’s dependence on traditional media channels to communicate
As a start-up this can be very helpful when the resources are limited, and the budget is not always available to spend on advertising.
Just as important as having a social media strategy in place it is also important to have guidelines in place to regulate the use of social media by your employees in order to mitigate the adverse effects of social media on your brand or your company.
Conclusion
It is evident that every organization would benefit from taking advantage of the social media space, equally important is to ensure that you have guidelines in place when it comes to the use of social media in your workplace. See the case of Edcon Limited v Cantamessa and Others (JR30/17) where Ms. Teressa Cantamessa was dismissed by Edcon for a post which she posted under the hashtag #ZumaMustFall. The Labour Court found the dismissal to be substantively fair.
For a free consultation on how to set up social media guidelines for your employees in your workplace, please complete the form on our website to register and we will be in contact with you.
Nothing Broken, Nothing Missing
Phumzile Msiza
Director, NxusaHR