Social Media Report Summary

8/4/2019 Social Media Report Summary

1/15

Executive summary

How to use social media to solvecritical internal communication issuesWeb 2.0 strategies to improve collaboration and boost the bottom line


2/15

2 Executive Summary How to use social media to solve critical internal communication issues

Since 2007, when Melcrum published How to use

social media to engage employees, social mediaand social sotware tools including wikis, blogs,

social networks, podcasts and more, have become

mainstream. Far rom being the time-wasting

ad that crowds o skeptics suggested then, our

research has now discovered that or many internal

communicators and the organizations they work

or, social media is extensively used to solve critical

business issues and enhance communication. For

an increasing number o companies, social media is

now business as usual, and part o the abric oeveryday working lie.

Many organizations have now moved well beyond

the social media experimentation phase that was

so prevalent just a ew years ago. Rather than

simply choosing to trial or implement a host o ree

applications or programs tacked onto a companys

intranet, businesses are increasingly spending

signicant budget on redesigning and rebuilding

their communication strategies and intranets, withsocial media at the very heart o every operation.

The term social media is also rapidly morphing into

social intranet or social business.

In this executive summary, youll nd highlights o Melcrums comprehensive

report, How to use social media to solve critical internal communication issues.

To nd out how to get your copy o the ull 130-page report, please see the

order orm at the back o this summary.

Introduction

How to use social media to solve critical internal

communication issuesis the latest research report

rom Melcrum, which sets out to help internal

communication proessionals understand just how

sophisticated social media within business has

become, and how they can apply the relevant tools

to their own organizations.

The ull report addresses the key challenges o how

you can:

Move beyond the tools, to ocus on prioritizing the

business case.Overcome the most common barriers to social

media tools, including budget restrictions, IT

involvement and management ear o loss o

control.

Discover how other innovative communicators are

using social media.

Successully set and maintain ownership and usage

guidelines.

Transition within your role rom controlling

communication to infuencing colleagues.Measure the success o your social media initiatives

simply and eectively.

Reap the benets that social media brings:

innovation, idea exchange and employee

collaboration.


3/15

3Executive Summary How to use social media to solve critical communication issues

At a glance

Social media is an evolution o communication and not the solutionor every organization, however internal communicators believe it is

here to stay and will play a big role in the unctions uture.

The proession is divided on the merits o using social media and is

overly ocused on the tools rather than prioritizing the business case.

Innovation, idea exchange and employee collaboration are the

biggest benets social media brings to global internal

communication unctions and their organizations.

Report chapters

Introduction

Strategy

Social media technologies

Governance

Return on investment

The uture

Case studies

AEP

Aviva

BT

CBA

Deloitte Australia

ERM

IDEO

ING

NetAppScottrade

Telstra

The Coca-Cola Company

Van Marcke Group o Companies

Virgin Media

Thought leaders

Lee Bryant

Ross Dawson

Richard Dennison

Sue Dewhurst

Gavin Heaton

Lee Hopkins

Neil Jenkins

Alex Manchester

Shane MorrisJames Robertson

Euan Semple

Angela Sinickas

Contents o the ull report


4/15


StrategyIt is simply not enough these days to know about Facebook, Twitter,

wikis, blogs and social networks. The critical question to ocus on

or internal communicators compared to three years ago is, Can myorganization use social media to improve its day-to-day business? As

writer and author Clay Shirky says: Tools get socially interesting ater

theyre no longer technologically interesting. Now that the overall

hype is beginning to die down, were begging to see some antastic

examples o social media tools in action within businesses.

In this chapter we examine the most important issues to consider when

developing a social media strategy, how to build a business case or

social media and convince leaders o the benets it can bring, and why

communicators should embrace the act they never really had control othe conversation in the rst place.

Research highlight:

Innovation and ideas bring the biggest benefts

The biggest benet or internal communicators who have already

put together a business case or the use o social media within their

organizations is innovation and idea exchange (41.5%), ollowed by

employee engagement (38.4%) and knowledge management and

collaboration (30.8%). This was backed by the act that 54.3% o

respondents said that getting employees to talk, share inormationand collaborate was the most eective use o social media within

global organizations. Building communities was second, while

connecting to and learning rom Generation Y employees was ound to

be the third most eective use o social media.

Benefts o using social media outlined in existing social media strategies

Expert opinion extract

Lee Bryant:

Strategy tips

Lee Bryant, director o

Headshit, a social sotware and

networking consultancy, has vekey caveats or those embarking

on a new social media strategy:

1. Start small

2. A blended solution is best

3. Base the blend on specifc

uses

4. Focus on the human, not the

technological

5. Get comortable with

ambiguity


5/15

5Executive Summary How to use social media to solve critical internal communication issues

Case study extract:

NetApp: Employee community enhances

collaboration and productivityBy Francesca Karpel, senior manager, internal communications

Goals and objectivesOur primary goal was to create a new communication platorm, an

online space to transcend time zones, geographic locations and

unctional silos. Fast growth is part o the NetApp DNA and we

expected that this online community would be rapidly adopted and

used by employees. NetApp Live, our online community, was designed

to leverage community inrastructure and to push out executive

messaging and internal communication while at the same time

enlarging the eedback pipeline to increase employee-driven dialogue

and engagement orums around the globe, across unctions and

between employees and leaders. Additionally, we wanted to be better

able to track and respond to employees. While English is the business

language or NetApp (although not 100% o employees are fuent), we

wanted to provide them with a platorm that would scale to

accommodate local language. Finally, we needed to empower internal

communication teams and employees to own content creation and

publishing without IT barriers.

Solution overview

We needed to identiy an integrated solution, deploy rapidly and get

buy-in across the company in order to realize the vision o a publishing

and dialogue platorm that would support companywide conversations.

Additionally, we needed to do this without requiring a major

commitment o IT resources. With that in mind we realized that we

needed to nd a vendor with a sotware solution that integrated

dierent unctions such as RSS, community, multi-lingual capability,

polling, ranking and commenting. We used a thorough request or

proposal (RFP) process an early stage in a procurement process, issuing

an invitation or suppliers, oten through a bidding process, to submit a

proposal on a specic commodity or service to identiy Jive Sotware

as the provider o a robust and integrated solution

that we could rapidly deploy and adopt globally.

Executives supported the solution, encouraged

employee voice and answered employee questions.

The implementation process ollowed a phasedapproach: engagement and testing, development and

companywide rollout, rapid growth and expansion.

Also in this chapter FullcasestudyfromNetApp, including the

implementation process and outcomes o theproject.

HowAviva introduced online orums to encourage

employee dialogue.

ProleofsocialmediapioneerEuan Semple.

Tenstepstoastrongerbusinesscase.

HowDeloitte Australia aligns social media with

corporate values.


6/15


TechnologiesTechnology is at the core o social media. Rapid improvements in

technology capabilities are uelling a truly epic increase in the amount

o time people are spending online and using connected devices andservices. In turn, technology expectations within businesses are soaring,

however the quality o business applications in many organizations is

lagging well behind.

In this chapter well examine some o the latest social media tools and

services available on the internet and behind the rewall; discover how

organizations are embedding them within businesses; how intranets

and content management systems and platorms are evolving thanks to

social media; and how our own technology perspectives are changing

aster than ever beore.

Research highlight:

Online video

Online video was chosen as the most popular social media tool with

52.6% o respondents saying they used it within the unction. This

was ollowed by blogs (51.9%), instant messaging (47%) and social

networks, including Twitter, Facebook and Yammer (37.6%).

How key technologies are used in the business

I we tried to take email away

now, organizations simply

wouldnt know what to do.

Social media is an evolution o

communication. Anonymous

respondent


7/15


Case study extract:

How social media fts into the business at BT

Mark Morrell has been BTs intranet manager or over seven years and

in that time this 100,000 employee organization has implemented a

wide range o social media tools and platorms including a business-

wide blogging platorm, a wiki called BTpedia, a media platorm or

audio and video podcasts and more, while the CEO hosts online chats

with employees across the business. Here he describes how social media

ts in.

Social tools in place at BT

The BT intranet is dened in the broadest sense o the term. The

moment you leave your desktop thats the intranet. Formal content,

applications, and blogs to name a ew unctions, all belong to and

within the intranet and are treated with a set o standards, some o

which are appropriate to all kinds o content and some o which only

apply to ormal content. In other words, the BT intranet is viewed as theonline environment or sta, as opposed to just a website, surrounded

by other applications. This is a more holistic view than many

organizations take, but its a vital one i theres to be decent

optimization and integration o all tools, including social media. People

arent concerned with the distinction, its all one and the same.

On the standards issue, ormal content such as policies and orms, have

to go through an approval process. BTPedia, or example, does not and

ormal and inormal content is dierentiated by dierent color banners

on the top o the page.

As intranet manager Im responsible or all related plans, strategies and

standards. Were a small, centralized team o our that looks ater key

internal websites including the homepage, directory and search. There

are thousands o publishers o ormal content, and many more who

have posted inormal content such as comments on blogs.

Also in this chapter Someofthekeytechnologiesinusewithin

organizations today.

Anin-depthlookathow employees at BT are

blogging.

Expertinsight:Whatweneedisaninternal

Facebook.

TheprosandconsofMicrosoftSharePoint.

HowSharePointwasintroducedatthe

Commonwealth Bank o Australia.

IncreasingglobaldialogueatERM through

Intranet 2.0.


8/15


GovernanceIn this chapter we examine how organizations are embracing,

managing and mitigating the risks and ears social media has brought

to the corporate world; showcase a series o best-practice policies, aswell as discuss examples o where its all gone very publicly wrong and

what we can learn rom this.

Research highlight:

No place or policy

More than hal o respondents (52.1%) said their organizations dont

have a social media policy in place compared to 38.1% who do. Just

under 10% are unaware o whether or not their company has a policy.

Global social media policies

Euan Semple, social mediaconsultant: Companies dont

do social media, people do.

Ownership should belong to

whoever is going to make this

work. You need someone who

has got the bug, the drive and

passion and who is willing to

push back all the barriers that

people will throw in their way.


9/15


Case study extract:

Rolling out a new social media policy at

Telstra

Telstra is the largest private telecommunications service provider in

Australia, and technologically one o the leading mobile inrastructureproviders in the world. Previously government owned, Telstra has rarely

been ar rom the headlines since privatization in 1993, and is oten the

subject o erce criticism or actions and strategies that put short-term

shareholder value beore customer service.

Despite such widespread criticism, since 2006, Telstra has been heavily

involved with social media, and was one o the rst major Australian

businesses to launch a public blog called, Now we are talking (NWAT)

which was staed by many employees and covered aspects o the

telecommunication industry.

In 2009, Telstra closed NWAT and launched a new set o social media

guidelines or its sta. As o the launch date, Any Telstra employee

wishing to participate in social media on behal o the company has to

gain accreditation and ull knowledge and understanding o the

companys 3 Rs policy. The 3 Rs are:

1. Representation

2. Responsibility

3. Respect

According to Telstra, the 3 Rs ask that when engaging in social media

you be:

1. Clear about whom youre representing.

2. Take responsibility or ensuring that any reerences to Telstra are

actually correct and accurate and do not breach confdentiality

requirements.

3. Show respect or the individuals and communities with which you

interact.

Also in this chapter TheCoca-Cola Companys online social

media principles.

Risksandbarrierstosocialmedia.

Policies,codesofconductandeducation.


10/15


Measuring return on

investment (ROI)Measuring the impact and value o social media initiatives isnt an easy

task, particularly i trying to do so retrospectively. How can businesses

justiy urther investment in resourcing, policy development and

technical improvements?

The business case or social media can seemingly be impossible to

grasp and calculate. Whats the value o blogging, or internal social

networks? How can we demonstrate what theyre worth?

This chapter gets to grips with how practitioners can monitorthe outcomes and impact o using social media tools within their

organizations. It also provides examples o social media initiatives

resulting in signicant savings and improvements in business processes,

employee collaboration and engagement.

Research highlight:

Metrics or beginners

Global internal communication teams enjoy sticking to the basics with

61.6% suggesting they measure the success o social media initiatives by

using website data and analysis or intranet trac gures. Interestingly,the aspiration and desire or higher levels o employee engagement

can also be seen here as it comes in second place, while levels o user-

generated content comes in third position as a measure or social

media success.Philippe Borremans, Chie Social

Media Ofcer, Van Marcke

Group o Companies: Theres

no point jumping on the social

media bandwagon i you dont

know which problems it willsolve. Theres no use in saying

we should be using internal

blogs when you dont have an

application or those blogs. I it

doesnt solve a problem there

isnt a use and I think this

is the issue that the business

case is missing in a lot o

organizations.

How internal communicators are measuring social media


11/15


Expert opinion extract:

Angela Sinickas: How to track outcomes

When measuring the impact o new technologies, start with some type

o desirable business result and identiy the stakeholder behaviors that

will lead to that result. Then, you can apply dierent techniques to

connect the communication method to the results. For example:

Onceasmallnumberofpeoplebegintochangetheirbehaviors,ask

them to what extent dierent types o their behaviors change. This

will help you to see what role the new electronic media played in

comparison to more traditional inormation sources.

Useapilotorcontrolgroupapproachwhereyoupromotethenew

technologies more heavily in some locations more than in others.

Then measure the dierence in behavior change and business

outcomes between the control groups and the pilot groups.

Withinabroaderchangemanagementsurveyaskadditional

questions about exposure to, and usage o, various communication

channels.Usingtheanswerstothesequestions,youcanseeifpeople

who requently visited a blog had more avorable answers to the

other survey questions than those who didnt.

Once you quantiy the percentage impact a particular communication

approach has had on behavior change, you can calculate the return on

investment. The survey questions or dierential outcomes o the pilot

study will tell you what percentage o the credit social media can take

or the nancial value o overall behavior change. Then simply comparethat value against the cost o providing electronic channels.

Angela Sinickas, President, Sinickas Communications, Inc.

Also in this chapter AchatwithoneofEuropesrstchiefsocialmedia

ocers.

ROIKeepitsimple:Focusonoutcomes,not

activity.

Gainingcompetitorintelligencethroughwikisat

Scottrade.

Gatheringcost-savingideasviatheintranetatAEP.

HowTwitterincreasedengagementatVirgin

Media.

HowtheVan Marcke Group developed a social

media change program with clear KPIs.


12/15


The utureWho are the people working and implementing social media in

organizations? Is it the central communication, intranet or IT team, or a

mixture o all three departments or perhaps others?

Or are these unctions side-stepped altogether? Are employees, project

teams and business units bypassing the ocial channels and using

collaboration spaces, blogs, micro-blogging services and more, in ront

o the rewall?

In reality, its a mixture o all these elements, but while social or new media

specialists are certainly on the increase, the internal communicator

and variations o, is still the dominating title. Its increasingly dicult to

dene the roles and responsibilities o internal communicators, and almostimpossible to dene the related roles and unctions, without extensive

consideration given the development and inclusion o social media.

In this chapter well examine where social media ts into the internal

communicators job description, the changing nature o the unction

and discover what the uture holds or the proession.

Euan Semple, social media

consultant: Its better to do

something than to do nothing,

particularly when it comes to

large organizations and giving

employees a platorm to share

their views and discuss their

working lives. Youll always havea degree o venting but its

better that it gets let o

proessionally and somewhere

contained than somewhere

else. These conversations are

happening anyway. Having them

visible means you can deal with

and respond to them when

necessary.


13/15


Expert opinion extract:

Three tips or recruiting or a social

media role

1. Look or key indicators:

How did they [prospective employee] nd this job? Niche site withdened roles or elsewhere?

Are they hungry or this type o work, and looking or very specic

roles?

Are they already participating?

Are they passionate? Sometimes when a business isnt willing to

look ahead, passion can play an important role in changing

mindsets and getting some progress.

2. Look or cross-industry skills, and beyond the typical people you

might be looking to hire. Look or a person that might:

Have developed skills rom projects either within a business or

their own, be it in development, branding, audience building

and more.

Has an entrepreneurial outlook and attitude.

3. Look or someone who does more than they talk, who has

demonstrable project experience and can discuss it at length and

openly in both online and ace-to-ace environments. Look or

someone who has passion and experience, and can eectively apply

both in a business role.

Gavin Heaton, owner, SocialMediaJobs.com.au

Also in this chapter Practitionerprole:NeilJenkins,Coca-Cola

Enterprises.

Expertopinion:Howinternalcommunicationmay

change in a Web 2.0 world.

Issocialmediaspecialistagoodtitletohave?

Willtheroleofinternalcommuncatorstillexistin

ve years?


14/15

Inthisreport: Globalsurvey Strategy Technology

Socialmediaroles

Governanceandpolicy

Intranet2.0 Toolsandtechniques

Bestpractice Casestudies

Returnoninvestment

Howtousesocialmediatosolve

criticalinternalcommunicationissues

Web2.0strategiestoimprovecollaborationandboostthebottomline

r

r i i i

i l

i

ri

r i r

ri i

rl

i.

l r

ii

rl

ii l

r

r

ll r

l r

ri

i

r

. ri

rr

i

i

l r l i

rl

ir

i

rr

ri i

r .

i ll

r

i

r li

l rr

rr

i r

ir i

i l i

ri i

r

r

r

.l r

l i

i il l

i

r r

lii

rr

r

i.

-

- -

:.

.

ir l ri

l:l:

-

( ll r

:

ir l rl

ill

i r

l:(

: (

i

ll r . r li

l: (: (

r r il r

..l r

.

To nd out about upcoming Melcrum

events on social media and internal

communication, please visit

www.melcrum.com/events

Order orm

Yes, please send me a copy o How to use socialmedia to solve critical internal communication

issues

Non-member price: 495 US$795 595 AU$895

Member price*: 445 US$715 535 AU$795

* To be a Melcrum member you must be a subscriber to Strategic Communication Management or

a member o the Internal Comms Hub

YOUR DETAILSPlease afx your business card or print details clearly

Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

State/County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Zip/Post Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Phone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shipping Costs: 8.50 US$20 20 AU$20

PAYMENT METHOD

I have enclosed a cheque (made payable to Melcrum Publishing)

Amount:

Please use my

Amount:

Card #:

Expiry: /

Cardholder name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Signature:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I you do not wish to receive relevant oers rom third-party organizations,but would still like to hear rom Melcrum, please check this box.

I you do not wish to receive inormation rom Melcrum or its partners,please check this box.

Get the tools you need to:

Build the business case or social media

Overcome the most common barriers to

technology adoption

Learn how your peers are using

social tools

Successully set and maintain ownership

and usage guidelines

Measure the success o your social

media initiatives

Reap the benets that social media

brings: innovation, idea exchange and

employee collaboration

4 Easy Ways to Order:1. Fax your completed order orm to: UK/Europe: +44 (0)20 8741 9975

North America: +1 202 330 5859

Asia/Pacifc: +61 (0)2 9222 2820

2. Call us on: UK/Europe: +44 (0)20 8600 4670

North America: +1 202 393 8960

Asia/Pacifc: +61 (0)2 9222 2810

3. Email:[email protected]

4. Online:www.melcrum.com

Quote reerence: SMCCexec


15/15

About Melcrum

Melcrum, a privately held research and training business, is the leading

authority on best practice, emerging trends and strategy in internal

communication. Melcrum advises internal communication leaders at

69 percent o the Global Fortune 100 largest organizations and 84

percent o the FTSE 100. Through independent research and executive

education, Melcrum helps internal communicators achieve the rewards

and recognition they deserve.

WithglobalnetworksandofcesintheUK,USandAustralia,

Melcrum researchers and editors spend their time meeting and talking

to practitioners to nd out where the best work gets done. Melcrum

makes these tools, techniques, and case studies available to its

members through publications, research, events, orums and websites.

Other publications include:

StrategicPlanningforInternalCommunicators

DeliveringSuccessfulChangeCommunication

TransformingYourIntranet

HowtoStructureInternalCommunication

MakingManagersBetterCommunicators

EmployeeEngagement

DrivingaHigh-PerformanceCorporateCulture

MeasuringInternalCommunication

EffectiveCommunicationfromtheTop

EssentialToolkitsforCommunicatingChange

HowtoCommunicateBusinessStrategytoEmployees ViralCommunicationintheWorkplace

HowtoCommunicatewithaGlobalWorkforce

HowtoCommunicatewithHard-to-ReachEmployees

For more details visit: www.melcrum.com

North American Ofce

1108 K St, NW

Third Floor

Washington DC 20005

Tel: 202 393 8960

Tel: 866-MELCRUM(Tollfree)

Fax: 202 330 5859

European Ofce

First Floor, The Glassmills,

322b King Street

London,W60AX,UK

Tel: +44 (0)20 8600 4670

Fax: +44 (0)20 8741 9975

Asia/Pacifc Ofce

Suite 1003, Level 10

1 Castlereagh St., 2000, Sydney,

NSW 2000, AustraliaTel: (02) 9222 2810

Fax: (02) 9222 2820

Email

[email protected]

Online

www.melcrum.com

Social Media Report Summary

Documents

Transcript of Social Media Report Summary