It’s not uncommon for internal social media networks like Yammer to go untapped in organizations. Common excuses include lack of time, uncertainty of what to post or lack of responses to their posts. Our advice: Get over it and get on it. Participation in these tools often builds when leaders jump on board and consistently use them. Here are some tips for on how to use internal social media tools:
- Share what you are working on. Just a few sentences will do.
- Conduct a brainstorm. Ask for feedback and ideas.
- Encourage employees to share best-developed practices.
- Post updates from the road. What meetings or conferences are you attending? What did you learn?
- Post highlights of the week.
- Show what’s going on “behind the curtain.” Share lessons you’ve learned. Don’t be afraid to share what’s not working and how you plan to tackle issues.
- Share progress on programs and initiatives. Don’t wait for the quarterly town hall. Share updates along the way.
- Tell stories.
- Recognize others for their work.
- Beta test a pilot program. This is a powerful way to get input from “end users” who are part of the pilot. They can share what’s working, what’s not working, provide tips or possible solutions to issues they observe.
- Post light features of employees and a typical day on the job.
- Post company and industry news.
- Post tips on making the most of employee benefits.
- Be patient. Don’t be discouraged if employees do not comment. Some execs become impatient because of lack of interaction and are quick to dismiss tools like Yammer. Many employees are “lurking” before they find their online voice. They prefer to watch and read rather than post or comment.
This list is not meant to be all-inclusive. What ideas do you have for using internal social media tools?