‘At the touch of a button’ you can make a Whatsapp call to a client in Canada or New York (the city that never sleeps).
With social media unavoidable nowadays, needing to know even the basics has become vital in adding value in a business. But what happens if your boss is someone who has had no interest in learning how to effectively use social media, and is feeling the pressure but doesn’t know where to start?
Here are four pointers to help you ease your boss into becoming a social media pro:
1. A foreign language
Have you ever travelled to a country where you don’t speak their language? That feeling of uncertainty that you get because you are not sure what they are talking about or whether or not they are speaking about you.
That’s how some people feel when engaging with certain social media platforms. To get up to speed with the language and basic functionality of the various platforms, get your boss to do a short online course on social media. There are tons of institutions such as GetSmarter that offer online courses to help you understand the world of social media.
2. Please insert your password
Make sure your boss sets up secure passwords and privacy settings for all your work social media platforms. The last thing you want is a disgruntled employee logging on and airing their grievances online!
3. Am I a Facebooker or an Instagrammer?
There are many social media platforms and as it is hard to keep up with all of them, it is a good idea to choose platforms that you will be able to maintain and are in line with your character.
For example I love travelling to other countries and learning about different cultures. Therefore Instagram is the perfect platform for me to share my travel snaps with my friends, fans, family and colleagues.
There’s nothing worse than logging onto a company’s social media platform and there has been no activity for months or even years
4. No news is not good news!
Although social media platforms can help a company engage with customers directly and build brand loyalty, among a number of other benefits, the businesses that decide to use social media platforms need to maintain their presence.
There’s nothing worse than logging onto a company’s social media platform on which there has been no activity for months – or even years for that matter.
It is just as bad if someone posts a message or tries to engage with a brand/company via social media and either never gets a response or is left to wait days for a response.
The beauty of these platforms is that they are instant. So make sure that, once you’ve set up your boss with social media accounts for the company, there is a dedicated person or resource to manage it regularly.
If it’s something you have an interest in, why not volunteer to do it and demonstrate what added value you can bring to the table?