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Feb 23, 2018 Sarah Goodall

19 Reasons Why You Should Activate Your Employees on Social Media

Social media is possibly the nation's favourite pastime so there's little surprise that activity is interspersed with working hours. Smartphones mean everyone is permanently connected so, rather than seeing this as a distraction, it's time the corporate world recognised the opportunities around advocacy that exist here.

The statistics speak for themselves: this is a huge opportunity to channel your employees' existing activity on social media into a fantastic free and hugely authentic resource for social selling.

Learn how to manage your online reputation with our free Social Media Policy eBook.

Here are 19 reasons why activating social media in the workplace is a good opportunity for business.  Check out the infographic for a more visual way to read the numbers.

Your employees are already social at work

  • 67% of your employees say they regularly check social media at work. [Source]
  • 41% of employees check their social media during their lunch break. [Source]
  • 75% of workers access social media on the job from their personal mobile device at least once a day. [Source]
  • 60% of employees access social media on the job from their mobile devices multiple times a day. [Source]
  • 82% of employees said they keep their smartphone within eye contact. [Source]
  • 34% of employees use social media while at work to take a mental break from their job. [Source]

And many are talking about your brand

  • 33% of employees post messages, pictures or videos in social media about their employer without encouragement from the employer. -Source]
  • 56% of employees have defended their employer to family and friends or in a more public venue such as on a website, blog or in a newspaper. [Source]
  • 39% have shared praise or positive comments online about their employer. [Source]

But often they don't know what to say

  • Only 45% of employees have a clear understanding of what they should and should not do on social channels when it comes to company-related topics. [Source]
  • 40% of employees can confidently describe to others what their employer does or what their goals are. [Source]
  • 72% of respondents identified that they have not received any type of social media training from their firm. [Source]
  • 77% of workers report using social media regardless of whether their employer has such a policy in place. [Source]

Companies are aware of the risks

  • 71% of executives said their company was concerned about possible risks posed by social media. [Source]
  • Only 36% of executives reported having social media training. [Source]

But are they also aware of the opportunities?

  • Whilst 3% of employees share content about their company, those shares are responsible for driving 30% increase in the total engagement a company sees on social media. [Source]
  • A 12% increase in brand advocacy generates 2x increase in revenue growth. [Source]
  • Socially engaged companies are 57% more likely to get a 58% increase in leads. [Source]
  • Socially engaged companies are 58% more likily to attract top talent. [Source]

Sources:
SilkRoad Social Media in the Workplace Report
Altimeter Study
Grant Thornton
CareerBuilder
Pew Internet
Linkedin
Bambu
Business Research Institute 
Weber Shandwick and KRC Research
Hinge Marketing (Understanding Employee Advocacy on Social Media)

Remember, activating social media in the workplace creates both risk and opportunity.  The most important thing to remember is to manage it.  Without management you're leaving your employee advocacy strategy to chance.  

Learn how to manage your online reputation with our free Social Media Policy eBook.

Social Media Policy eBook.png



 

About Tribal Impact

Tribal Impact is a B2B Social Selling and Employee Branding Agency.

We're a team of social media strategists, trainers, coaches, content creators and data analysts who are passionate about helping our B2B customers develop and scale their social selling and employee advocacy programs.

Learn more about us here.

Published by Sarah Goodall February 23, 2018
Sarah Goodall