Companies in new age of Social Networking
Chron Business — As social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook assimilate into our lexicon as verbs, companies faced with reduced communication budgets are realizing the value of engaging their employees and customers through Web-based interactive media.
A June survey conducted by The Internal Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and Buck Consultants reported almost 80 percent of organizations frequently use social media, outranking even e-mail. Nearly half said company blogs are the most popular tool, with discussion boards on the rise.
After heading a lecture recently about how businesses engage with these tech tools, Julie Freeman, president of IABC, recently spoke with the Chronicle about the intersection between Web 2.0 and the workplace. What follows are excerpts from that conversation.
Q:How are businesses faring in keeping up with social media?
A: It really varies, some companies are doing better than others. For example, GM is using a number of social media tools to rebuild its public image and restore consumer confidence in its products and Starbucks launched a coupon campaign through Facebook, which was a smart way to broaden their marketing base. Companies are increasingly seeing the value, but that is not to say everyone is doing it.
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