Social Media
FountainBlue's July 1 When She Speaks, Women in Leadership Series event was on the topic of Social Media for Work and Play. Below are notes from the conversation.
Our panelists this month represented a wide range of companies, educational backgrounds and experiences, yet each had extensive experience and perspectives around social media.
Our panelists are experienced professionals with distinct perspectives around leveraging social media for work and play, and they generously shared some common best practices.
They each actively and consciously leveraged social media in their day-to-day activities to build relationships, to share their brand, to keep in touch with others in their network, and also for pure enjoyment.
Each panelist recognized that the different social media tools serve different purposes, and that each individual has different objectives. So key to knowing what tool to use to communicate what message is to understand what your goals are - whether it's a social goal of staying connected with family who are spread out, or extending a corporate message to strategic partners.
Whereas LinkedIn is a must-have for all professionals, open to those well beyond your immediate network, FaceBook and Instagram are more social platforms for more personal communications with messages more intended for friends.
Whereas blog tools like Medium and WordPress are platforms for communicating a brand and message, tools like Slack and Yammer are designed for social interactions between an established group, to build connections between teams who work in different locations for example.
A tool like Twitter can be used to perpetuate a corporate message, and also to add a personal and social element to that professional brand. Our panel mentioned some interesting and creative tools which you might consider for your company.
LinkedIn provides a background and history of a professional career, complete with testimonials, allegiances, educational background etc. Every professional should have a profile, and link to fellow professionals whom they know and trust.
WeChat and WhatsApp can be used to connect to message between people who are far apart.
WordPress and Medium and other blog sites are great platforms for spreading your message and your brand.
YouTube can help communicate deep technical issues or share presentations and information easily online.
Wikipedia may be used as a platform to share deep technical expertise.
Scoop.it helps compile written and curated data on the same theme, by the same group or individual.
Because there are so many options to use social media, companies need to proactively manage the corporate and product brand. It helps to have a handbook and agreement and a regularly-updated message about what to say and how to say it, but in the end, professionals must trust that employees know how to exercise good judgment and use discretion as their words and actions may reflect badly on themselves, their teams, their products/services.
Marketing and PR teams may also work closely with executives to draft communications and messages, and also provide a handbook to the general staff on approved company communications policies and practices.
The bottom line is that social media is great when it helps you expand and grow your network and your brand, and not so great when the message and consequences are not as intended. Proactively managing your brand and thoughtfully communicating through these platforms would help you get more consistently positive results.
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Please join us in thanking our panelists for FountainBlue's July 1 When She Speaks, Women in Leadership Series event, on the topic of Social Media for Work and Play and our gracious hosts at Synaptics.
Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue - Executive Coach, Tech Adviser and Leadership Consultant
Panelist Stefana Hunyady, Sr. Director, CPI Horizontal Programs, PayPal CTO office
Panelist Ann Minooka, Sr. Director of Marketing and Communications, Synaptics
Panelist Laura Padilla, Senior Director Technology Alliances, Nutanix
Panelist Heather Sullivan, Vice President & Head of HR - Global Innovation Center, Samsung Electronics