Captains of Industry

By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Companies have been following the advice from social media gods like Seth Godin and David Meerman Scott ever since they realized that having a “fan” equated to having a customer. They created Facebook pages. They tweeted. Maybe they even hired a social media specialist. Yet some of these companies still restrict or even ban social media from their employees. Why? They’re scared. And a touch paranoid.

Well, it’s time for businesses to break out their nightlights and start facing their fears because they’re missing out on a valuable resource that’s sitting right in the cubicle next door. According to recent post from Shel Holtz from MarketingProfs, most companies are nervous that their employees will trash talk their brand if given permission to exercise their right to the First Amendment. Yet, if you really think about it, employees are the LAST people who want your business to tank. If not for any other reason but they have bills to pay and mouths to feed.

Holtz also mentioned that by having your employees talk about your brand on social venues not only will they be able to reach tons of people who believe and trust their good judgment, but they’ll be able to use their extensive brand knowledge to educate them about your products. All in all, employees are the best-untapped resource when it comes to promoting a brand. But if you’re still a little squeamish about giving your employees free reign, check out IBM’s Social Computing Guidelines. They have a fair stance on their employee’s use of social media.

What do you think about restricting employees’ social media use?