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Primer…How Businesses Use Social Media

Leave a Comment / HR Views & News / HR Footprints / 11/01/2014

You love it or hate it; it is here to stay and gain in strength. That is the power of social media! According to some reports, Indians have third largest presence on internet and it is fast growing. Thanks to the one day subscription schemes, or one-month schemes by the mobile operators, Wi-Fi in cafes and several affordable smart phones, there is wider availability of internet in India which is encouraging the use of social media. Currently trending social media sites are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Hangout, Hi5, Whats App and so on. The primary application of social media seems to be staying in touch, communicating and entertainment (sorry, we are not referring here several other perverted uses of social media!). However, it is very interesting to note how organisations have started using social media to serve multiple business objectives. How do businesses use social media? While there are many potential applications of social media for organisations, let us look at some of the prominent ones. Brand Building: You visit any company website; you will find social media icons asking you to follow their page on multiple social media platforms. Why? The primary reason is to build and strengthen the brand. They want to remain in the mind space of their exiting or potential customers by constantly positioning and communicating. Engagement with the customer: There are some organisations, which go beyond brand building. They wish to use social media to engage with the customer. For example, Harvard Business Review posts their cover page designs for ensuing issue and invite feedback from their readers. Movie industry in India is using social media in a big way as a pre-release promotional tool. Eliciting Feedback: Though a bit risky, some companies use social media platforms to receive feedback on their products or services. For example, see the Twitter handle of Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group. I often notice how customers posting their grievances on his page directly. Similarly, look at the pressure on governments and political parties, which receive scathing attacks, and harsh feedback on their actions or lack of it which in turn influence their policy announcements. Business Development: Social media also offers a platform to connect with potential customers or clients and build business leads. Particularly, for many small & medium size enterprises, boutique shops, freelancers social media offers powerful access to reach out to potential clients. Now that we know how businesses use social media for various key applications, keep a track of this space to know how HR folks use social media and what is in it for you! By: Dr. Raj CEO, HR Footprints Management Services, Pvt. Ltd. This article was published in: HR Mirror, Hans India Follow us on Twitter @hrfootprints

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You love or you hate … but you need HR!

Try asking this question – “do you like HR department?” You are bound to get mixed responses depending upon their experiences with the HR folks, but there is no denying the fact that you need HR! When are HR people loved? When are they hated? Whenever they meet the expectations of their stakeholders, the HR folks are loved. For example, when a good compensation hike has been announced, all those people who received the hike praise them and say that the HR department is very proactive and keeps the compensation in line with the market. They love HR! What about those who were not given any increment? They say that HR practices are unfair and unprofessional and may feel that practically there is no HR and everything is decided by the line manager while HR ends up as a mere paper pusher. They hate HR! Story has not ended there…. In an effort to keep as many employees happy as possible, if HR department proposes attractive hikes and liberal performance standards (thereby having 0% bottom performers), they are hated by the top management. Yet, stakeholders always need HR. When top management wants to communicate tough messages, they need HR. When employees want the policies to be friendlier, they need HR or when managers want more manpower, they need HR to recruit. How should the HR manager feel? Surely, mixed emotions! Confused focus…. Mixed emotions because they are loved by some and hated by some. Confused because they do not know which stakeholder to satisfy and which stakeholder to ignore. There are built-in contradictions in the expectations of disparate stakeholders. With this confusion, HR managers evolve themselves leaning towards one of these stakeholders. Therefore, we end up seeing HR department that is leaning towards ‘management’ and thereby displeasing the employees; some HR departments leaning towards ‘employees’ and thereby in conflict with the management. Those HR managers who retain their balance and conscience will carry themselves as per the situation and keeping the larger picture in mind and not aiming for popularity!