Social media networking sites provide a great opportunity for organizations for marketing, employee engagement and recruiting efforts. Employee’s are “tweeting”, updating statuses on facebook and even “be-friending” their peers. However, with the reward does come at a risk. How high the risk depends largely on the plans and policies in place to address the risk. If your company doesn’t currently have a social networking policy, read on to discover why it’s an important risk management tool!

Whether or not you currently use social media for personal or professional purposes, it is increasing in popularity within organizations. Many individuals and companies that utilize Twitter or other social media websites want public recognition with the intention of attracting followers, fans, etc. The risk that is involved is monitoring what employee’s say, how they say it and when they say it to ensure your business is properly represented.

As I mentioned earlier, where there is risk, there is also reward. The social media arena is no different. To help manage risk, companies should provide a brief written policy about company expectations regarding social media usage. This might complement an already-existing policy on e-mail and Internet communications. Even if you’re not currently using social media tools for business reasons, you still should put together policy about employees’ personal use. If a company ignores the impact of online social networks, the company’s silence might cause confusion amongst the employee’s.

As you are reviewing your policies, below are some factors to keep in mind:

1. Company approval is required for authors who use electronic resources of the company to send tweets, status updates or other public messages.
2. Any messages that might act as the “voice” or position of the company must be approved by the company.
3. Any message posted to a personal networking sites regarding job related content or about the company should require the employee to identify themselves as an employee of your company and use a disclaimer and make it clear that these views are not reflective of the views of your company. “The opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of (insert your company name).”
4. Any identification of the author, including usernames, pictures/logos, or “profile” web pages, should not use logos, trademarks, or other intellectual property of the company, without approval of the company.
5. Written messages are, or can become, public. Use common sense when sharing messages.
6. The personal use of social networking web sites must not interfere with working time.

In addition to the policy itself, experts recommend having a brief policy statement outlining corporate philosophy on social media. The policy should specify sites or tools encompassed by the statement, who is permitted to use them and for what purposes, restrictions on usage and the consequences of infractions. As with any new policies, employees should sign an acknowledgment of receipt and understanding when the policy is released.

It’s clear that social media is becoming a more important part of how businesses operate. To avoid problems, employers need to set clear boundaries that depend on the corporate culture, the work environment and the industry. If you would like more information on how to utilize social media networking or on implementing a social networking policy, please contact your local Midwest Staffing Group Business Development Specialist.

How many people do you know own a mobile phone? How many of them do not leave home without it? The mobile phone has become so routine in our lives most people feel naked or lost without it, being without it is like a missing extremity. The demand for the mobile phone continues to increase especially since mobile phones cater to all. The next time you walk down the street or are at the local grocery store observe the multitudes of people using their phones either talking, sending text messages, or even checking their calendars. There are almost 2.4 billion mobile phone users worldwide. This number alone is a good reason to focus on mobile marketing. There are also other reasons to use mobile marketing like increasing word of mouth, giving power to the consumer, and creating effective customer relationship management (CRM).

Marketers are moving towards mobile marketing. Understanding and awareness of technology is the first challenge toward mobile marketing, but justifying its worth is the second. The ability to stay on top of the continually improving technology is difficult and intriguing investors to accept these improvements can be even harder in this fluctuating economy. To be successful the campaign must be informative, entertaining or have social interaction.

1. The first service is providing the information, which will answer consumer’s questions. With access to a mobile phone, the consumer can visit a company website to read feedback and reviews on in-store products or services. This simplifies consumers purchasing decision with a sense of security.
2. Social interaction usually involves a user creating a personal profile of experiences, images, videos or just general thoughts on issues viewable to all or selected individuals via the internet. Social Networking sites are the most rapidly growing websites available. Users are connecting through websites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. Each website connects users with one another allowing them to share rich media content, join similar groups, fan clubs, and more. Social Media creates a personalized interaction between readers, consumers and businesses.
3. Engaging the audience in a type of entertainment will increase retention and the return rate. The Zynga Corporation that has developed hundreds of video games and according to their website there are over 50 million players. The majority of their video game connects players with one another through the social media websites. To finance games, Zynga relies on external business promotions and players to purchase special gaming points.

Conclusion

Mobile marketing seems to be the obvious way to keep in touch with consumers via mobile phones. It expands company’s range and target market with the instantaneous convenience. The cost efficiency speaks for itself. Companies can determine the extent of the mobile marketing campaign and customers can determine if they want to accept or decline these offers and updates.

Blogs are personal renditions of experiences with products, customer service or just general thought on issues viewable to all via the internet. Search Engines, Blogs and Social Media are the most utilized tools available for consumers to research products and companies and for companies to monitor consumer reviews. Blogs initiate a personalized interaction between readers, consumers and businesses.

The top three reasons to start a Blog.

1. The price is right - Blogging is one of the most cost efficient marketing methods in the industry. Blogs provide you and your company the ability to share thoughts, photos and videos instantly with others. Several websites exits that allow a person to set up a blog within minutes and chose from a variety of templates to get you started for free. A non-localized blogging site listed is www.blogger.com where you can post your blogs on their site. My personal favorite site is an open source project called Blog Engine at www.dotnetblogengine.net; this site with the help of your technology department enables you to blog in the location that you want; for instance the home page of your website.
2. Increase Traffic - Search engines like www.bing.com and www.google.com measure and rank your website proficiency based on inbound links to your website - from outside websites, then they account for outbound links to other website - from your website. Blogs also encourage people to return to your website so they can stay current with any updates or modifications.
3. Interaction - The most important feature of a blog is that they create a viable way to listen to a greater quantity of consumer's opinions. Unlike other types of marketing tactics such as print media or email campaigns blogging permits instant feedback about opinions and offerings of relevant topics. Companies that decide to utilize blogs will have the advantage of knowing their customer opinions about their company and niche market and maybe glean relevant stories which will allow them the ability to tweak any processes and move forward in the future.

Convinced to start your own blog? Here is a helpful website which will direct you towards creating a successful blog www.problogger.net. You will find blogs can beneficial as a consumer and as a company. As you enter the world of blogging you will discover the other many benefits that blogging entails. Keep in mind that some blogs are personal opinions and should treated as suggestions not as legitimate facts.