Article: The Power Of Social Media To Affect Corporate Culture

While some companies initially considered social media to be little more than a distraction for employees, many are now realising the power that lies within a system that is so closely intertwined into the fabric of our modern digital society, to the point where we carry these networks around with us all day on our indispensable mobile devices.

The realisation of this kind of power has meant that companies are increasingly appreciating the need to have an active and engaging corporate presence on social media in order to attract talent, clients and partners in business.

An organisation’s culture plays an important role in their outward and internal image. People looking for jobs aim to understand the culture of a business before they commit to joining, in order to see whether they will fit in with the culture and have the best chance of professional success and happiness. Potential clients also want to do business with companies they trust and that appeal to them.

Social media is a great communication tool, and many people will look to company pages and profiles on various social media platforms to get a feel for the culture of the business. Communicating the company’s values and culture through social content is an important duty for any company.

Social media provides a subtle yet powerful way in which a corporate culture can be publically displayed. Posts regarding team-building efforts, office gatherings, health and wellness initiatives or performance incentives can give job seekers an understanding of what working for the company will be like, and clients will be attracted to a company with a positive corporate culture.

Creating a team-building hashtag on Twitter, posting photos from the office party or using an article on LinkedIn to congratulate high performing staff can all be effective ways to demonstrate an organisation’s culture through social media.

Successfully managing the reputation of an organisation is another of the tasks that need to be taken seriously, and this can be achieved through social media. An active social media presence in itself can present a company as innovative and engaging, and this is precisely what a company should aim to do as part of reputation management.

Nobody wants to support or work for a company that has a bad reputation and many customers will turn down giving business to a company that they perceive negatively. For this reason, companies should be monitoring social media for mentions, especially when it comes to what former, current and potential employees are saying about the company.

When appropriate, a representative of the company can take part in the conversation, but special care should be taken when controversial or negative conversations are being dealt with. Companies need to monitor their social channels closely to ensure that their positive reputation is maintained.