Wait, Social Media in Businesses... It's Not Normal?

I like social media. And I like social media-ing for work. But people don’t take me seriously when I say that.

As time pass, things change. Quite often. And things have changed a lot since the first introduction of computers and internet, especially with social media exponentially growing – err skyrocketing. Today, we see a lot of businesses create their profiles on social media, depending on what “works best” with their messaging.

You may think that social media is old news and everybody is on social, even I thought so as I was writing this. But nope, we’re both wrong. There are still many people out there who think social media is still not necessary – actually, they don’t know how important it for businesses! And if they think social media is kind of important, they think someone younger in their company can be in charge of their social channels because they’re too old or don’t have time to learn. Guess what? It’s 2018, which means, being on social – knowing social – doing social, it’s a must as long as you live. Or so it seems like it nowadays because technology is going to advance even more tomorrow than yesterday and today.

I first heard about Social Technologies in Business: Connect, Share, Lead during Isabel Del Clerq’s keynote when I was attending Daimler’s netWork Camp in Germany. Thanks to social media and the wide network it allows users to reach, I was able to connect with Isabel as we were commenting on my blog in addition to also briefly talking about her book.

I’ve actually seen posts about this book quite a few times on my LinkedIn feed – so I was excited to read it because the book’s goal was to: “Gather all those inspiring people you have met via social media; ask them to capture their knowledge and expertise into several chapters for a book; and spread this beautiful ideology that social has become.” It's full of great ideologies and very easy to digest – I’ve found myself smile and agree on several things while reading the book. By the way, there is a total of 14 authors in this book from across the world, which means you’ll be consuming alot of knowledge by the time you turn the last page of the book! [At San Francisco International Airport reading Social Technologies in Business: Connect, Share, Lead while waiting to board - ended up finishing the book in one day! Photo credit: Arah Go]

You’ve probably heard the phrase "timing is everything". Well, I’ve been itching about two particular issues around the time I heard about this book. And Isabel addresses it in the book. In Rita Zonius' chapter of the book in the beginning, there is an email that a CEO wrote to his employees:

“I’ve been in the workforce for more than 30 years and I didn’t become a CEO by being warm, fuzzy and social. I succeeded after years of back-breaking work in an analogue world. Have you any idea how exhausting it is breaking other people’s backs as you climb the corporate ladder? The point is: I’m a success story of my generation and I don’t need to chatter mindlessly to people on Twitter to stay on top. Besides, I’m much too old to be bothered about learning how all these new digital and social tools work.”

It’s funny because I’ve heard multiple variations of what this CEO is saying from numerous people in real life. My issue? I’m tired of hearing it.

I succeeded after years of back-breaking work in an analogue world = It’s okay, our business doesn’t need social

Why would anyone want to take pictures of employees doing work and post it online for others to see? Why should we put aside some budget, time, and effort for social? Why do we need to hire a social media “expert”?

I mean, social media basically provides a way to share knowledge regardless of who the audience is: it could be through the most used channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc. or it can even be through ESN (Employee Social Network), the social employee platforms that a lot of companies are jumping on these days – if you’ve never heard about ESNs, it’s a niche where you can “work, but also… share, interact, and learn” with your colleagues.

One of my day-to-day job is creeping (in a nice way of course) on a lot of people at work just so I can create content for our social media channels. Let’s take MBRDNA’s 24 hour hackathon as an example – I stayed up all 24 hours + before the hackathon + after the hackathon to capture the interval updates of how our hackers’ projects came to be through brainstorming, coding, nerf gun battles, ping-pong matches, and snacking so our Instagram followers can keep up. Some enjoyed my sudden drop ins, while some thought it was really weird that I kept popping in and asking random questions. In the end, everyone laughed while watching our Instagram story and I actually got to know many new faces that I hadn’t had the chance to work with. This is just an example of how Damian Corbet describes social media: “[It] is about listening; it’s about networking; it’s about community building; it’s about personal branding; it’s about gaining market knowledge and insights... Social networks are now an integral part of the lives of the majority of the world’s population.” These platforms suggest the possibility to co-create with both internal and external audiences to expand and develop in a business. [Hackathons are fun, aren’t they? Photo credit: Arah Go]

Well then, what is the ROI (return on investment) on social media? I smiled when I read Damian’s thoughts: “You may as well ask what is the ROI of the Internet, or the telephone, or the telegraph, or the railway, or the industrial revolution, or the printing press. These all had revolutionary effects on individuals, society and business. They changed the game completely. How can you measure that?” Of course ROI is an important factor and should be something that must be discussed about. But if you’ve never asked what the ROI is for all the things that Damian mentioned, then why ask about it now? The era we’re in right now is unlike any others – we’ve got cloud, IoT, algorithms, AI, ML… We’re at the most advanced stage of technology than we’ve ever been. And it’s enabling us – encouraging us – to become social and connected.

Sharing in social media is part of our culture today – if you look at Glassdoor, Yelp, Amazon, Instagram, etc.: people share their opinions of things that they experienced first-hand, and others read that in order to determine whether or not they want to experience the same exact product or go with a different product. We’re all co-creating and trading knowledge with those you have never met online nor knew existed. This itself shows how you can turn prospective clients to real clients, what to improve on, who your target group is, and what people are saying about you and your company.

Besides, I’m much too old to be bothered about learning how all these new digital and social tools work = It’s okay, I don’t need to be digitally literate

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the older generations always think that the younger generations will do all the social and digital related things for them at work. Yes, we’re here for you. But I’d also like to stress that in the near future, you’ll need to learn and do it yourself. Paul Miller highlights: “Currently, ‘digital illiteracy’ is still accepted – but it should not be.” I totally agree. Since social media is fairly new, I guess there should be some kind of a leeway time for people to learn how to use it. But until when? You don’t see us entry-level colleagues asking for X period of time to adjust – we figure it out as soon as we can. So... what’s the difference here?

You know what’s truly awesome and can earn quite a big amount respect from the younger generations? Older generation knowing how to use social media – okay uploading pictures of your grandchildren and cat is the first step – and knowing how to convey their personal branding and message. Younger generations want to learn from older generations because they are the experts in the field. Yet, it’s not always so easy to be able to connect with an expert in real life (Like I can’t just go into a LinkedIn office down the street and ask “hey Jeff Weiner, can you tell me about how you became the person you are today?”) that easily. [I wonder if she's also on LinkedIn, and the Instagram? Photo credit: assets-auto.rbl]

Whichever social platform you’re on, you can upload a “status” of your advice and many people can read, hear, and learn – from those you know, and from those you do not know. And we young adults, students and professionals, love browsing through to see what else we can learn through the touch of our finger tips whenever we’d like wherever we are – I think that’s the biggest and greatest deal out there. In any chance that what you post is some great advice, it will help many many many people. That’s the sole reason why we “follow” someone on social media channels – we want to learn who they are, what they are like, and what they do. This is an easy and hassle-free way to distribute and share your knowledge to the public as a brand ambassador of your company.

Many CEOs and top-level executives are still delaying to change their way of revising their stance on how they can be the focal person in their business with their leadership style online. This makes them basically an invisible person online. In today’s connected world, relationships and reputations are more visible. Customers, employees, and families use social media – and if you're one of the people who don’t use it, how would you know what everyone is talking about you and your company?

Damian writes, “Despite this, far too many leaders still lock themselves away in the corner office, assuming – because of their position of authority – that they’re somehow unique, that their ideas are more valid than anyone else’s. They work harder, for longer hours, so they know best. No, they don’t know best. Not in the Social Age.” I can agree, and I am 98% sure you have more professional experience, life experience, and know-hows than me. And I respect that. But if you’re not adapting to this new Social Age, you still lack the 2% of being a leader. We are currently living in an era that is always online, connected, and communicating. If you think you’re irrelevant in the online world because you’re a part of the older generation, you’re wrong. Everything about you, because you hold a position at your company, you’re relevant to the company. As Damian says, “leaders who understand that engagement and transparency are now key drivers of business success… Social leadership is all about mindset. It’s not simply about having LinkedIn and Twitter accounts (although arguably those are necessary). These are simply tools. If you don’t know how to use the tools, you may as well not bother.”

For me, that mindset is making the first step to openly acknowledge that social and digital is changing the world, and that you need to get on it. Learning, just like how you learned to write, surf, or cook, will be the same – you acknowledge that you don’t know how to do it, you’d like to learn it with an open mind, and you practice and practice until you can say you now know how to do it. It’s similar with learning social media – there’s no right or wrong way, you do it how you want the end result to be. And the greatest part is that you don’t need a specific kind of equipment, body shape, or ball court. You just need your technology device that you already have in your pocket and utilize it when you choose to. [Connected, connected, everything is connected in this world! Photo credit: uplogix]

Conclusion

Social itself has many benefits for you and your business: collaborate with the world outside for your business (through Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook polls), advertise for free (with powerful messages or products you are going to be releasing in the market), increase employee morale (let’s be honest, people like working for cool companies that follows trends and also knowing that your company is in the forefront of trends), and grow your reputation as well as awareness (very possible for someone to stumble across your profile and browse through with the potential to increase one more follower).

We’re always wired, communicating, and multi-tasking digitally – so why not use it to your advantage? Let’s go back to that CEO email and imagine this:

“I’ve been in the workforce for more than 30 years and I became a CEO by being warm, fuzzy and social. I succeeded after years of back-breaking work in both the analogue and digital world. I’m a success story of my generation and even today’s generation because I was sync in the social world. I’m much too old to be bothered about learning how all these new digital and social tools work, but I know and utilize it everyday.”

How refreshing would it be if we heard those words instead. In a few years, this is what the CEOs will be saying... so why wait to say this?

[Arah Go is a recent graduate from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Communications and Media Studies. Just like any true young millennial, Arah is an avid social media user with a strong interest in social media and digital marketing. She enjoys long walks to the fridge at night, 5 v. 5 futsal, and experiencing new cultures.]

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This post belongs to me and they are my own thoughts.

And shoutout to all the authors of Social Technologies in Business: Connect, Share, Lead: Lee Bryant (UK), Damian Corbet (UK), Veerle Eylenbosch (Belgium), Ragnar Heil (Germany), Paul Miller (UK), Geert Nijs (Belgium), Céline Schillinger (US), Simon Terry (Australia), Christophe Vanden Eede (Belgium), Jan Van Oudendycke (Belgium), Saskia Van Uffelen (Belgium), Mathias Vermeulen (Belgium), and Rita Zonius (Australia). As Isabel writes that, she would've never met some people without social - and for me, I would've never come across this book, or any of you, without social.