There are people who actively seek out volunteer opportunities. They might be comparable to the employees who want, and are looking for ways, to promote their companies. But there are many people who have never engaged in volunteer service. Finally they get asked to help with a small project. By the end of the day, more often than not, they are remarking that they didn’t realize volunteering could be so much fun, or be so meaningful, or that their contribution could actually make a difference.

There’s no reason one’s employment shouldn’t elicit similar responses. Granted, they are for different reasons, but there’s nothing wrong with an employee feeling good about actively participating in the forward progression of their company’s vision and goals; to be “active” in a way that is beyond simply fulfilling the tasks for their daily pay.

Switching gears, for my colleagues who are corporate trainers/instructional designers, there are also opportunities implied here in working with Marketing counterparts to create internal education programs.

There are plenty of other reasons for all employees to be business- and product-literate. But as for activating employees as a face of the company to the public, this is not something that a company can ASK any employee to do, no less insist upon it. That kind of thinking leads to Halliburton-style astroturfing.

What I’m proposing is simply that employees be taken seriously enough to share product and marketing plans with them, to remove constraints that prevent them from talking about the company and its products if they are so inclined, and to build channels into the company’s infrastructure that makes it easy for them to engage in the conversations they want to.

That said, employees who help sell product are compensated — what are they paid for if not helping the company succeed? The smartest companies will implement systems that DO recognize and reward employees who make a difference, not only because they deserve it but because it provides a model for how other employees behave (as in, “Oh, is that what gets you recognized around here?”).

The keys, again, are making sure employees have the knowledge they need to talk intelligently about products and services, and that they are not prohibited from sharing that knowledge appropriately.

I think it foreshadows something that is much bigger than just using social media to leverage employees for marketing.

You speak to the fact that social media is actually changing the way businesses structure and operate their communications, marketing and customer service. These new tools and technology are eventually going to change organizational structure, hiring, training … daresay how brands are managed.

Thanks for this. Great thinking.

CIPR’s guidelines suggest the organization’s stated Code of Conduct as the cornerstone of any social media efforts — especially its three principles of Integrity (in social media: “Be real”), Competence (“talk about what you know.. be transparent”), and Confidentiality “maintain loyalty; don’t speak out of school”).

And by the way, I love the notion of “product literacy” in relation to educating employees. Great phrase.

Welcome to the Fix, Shel!

p.s. I think this is the first post we’ve ever run in 3 years that has contained the word “gobsmacked,” too. ; )

Companies need to start understanding that social media is no longer just a supplement to regular marketing initiatives. It is now a necessity. I actually wrote a blog post today about 5 tips to convince your boss to engage in social media. bit.ly/aTOFtE