Constructing a social media strategy can be difficult for the modern business. You don't know exactly how it will affect your business, and you also are aware that your competitors are likely using it. Let's look at how your organization’s social media practices can lead to success.
The most prominent social media platforms usually have different uses in the business world: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and even some other emerging technologies such as Snapchat and Instagram. If your company learns to take advantage of these platforms, it can reap significant benefits, but only if the risks are navigated effectively.
The Advantages
The social aspect of social media is the largest reason your business can make an impact with these platforms. When your business has online accounts on social media platforms, you’re getting almost free exposure for your business. Prospective clients can see what your organization does at a glance, more so than with a website in some ways. Individuals can share your page with others who may find it interesting. However, if more people are seeing your business online, your competitors can also see what you’re doing to earn your share of the market; this could allow them to usurp your ideas and methods.
The Hazards
Even with those advantages, your business faces incredible risk from social media networks. Most of these issues stem from network security and user productivity, both of which can harm your organization's success.
- Network Security: Social media networks may lead to more of a web presence for your business, but this is a double-edged sword that cuts both ways. More hacking attacks can target your business, and the passwords or usernames could be potentially stolen during data breaches. Phishing attacks may come through messaging apps as well. The best way to stay safe is to keep your users focused on social media best practices, and to remind them that they shouldn’t be posting about your workplace or practices on their own personal pages.
- User Productivity: Your workers might find the draw of social media to be too tempting, especially during work hours, as quality of work can suffer or distract others. Your employees might find that Netflix is more fun than their current responsibilities, or that they simply can’t stop themselves from trash-talking your business online in full view of the public. There are ways to keep your employees from accessing social media on your workplace workstations, but doing so can create conflict. Thus, you should have measures put into place that don’t lead you to ruin one good thing for every employee because of a few bad apples.
A content filtering solution from Macro Systems can help you maintain productivity while still allowing your workers to browse social media in a way that is workplace-appropriate. You can restrict access to dangerous and time-wasting, among these social media, on a per-user basis, allowing you to segment “punishment” to only the truly unproductive employees. To learn more about content filtering, reach out to us at 703-359-9211.