Using social media internally for your business

June 12, 2013

We read many articles advising us on how to use social media for business, but this is normally on an external level, to help with customer service, brand awareness and web traffic. However, have you thought about how social media can help your business internally?

As we know, social media is a useful tool, but on an internal level, it can help with communication, idea generation, knowledge sharing, improved productivity and much more!

From a study, it was reported that 50% of companies are already using some form of social media for their internal communications, such as instant messaging, employee blogs and social networks. Are you currently using any of these?

There are many other tools available to use too, however, a site that is specifically targeted towards companies is Yammer. Yammer is a private network, which means that only people with a verified work email address can join your network, making sure that your content stays safely between your employees. It is a place where staff can discuss projects, share information and ideas, communicate with their team members and ask questions.

Yammer is currently used by over 200,000 companies worldwide, including 85% of the Fortune 500. Here are just some of the companies using Yammer successfully:

Xerox has used Yammer for a number of years and has found that it is ideal for time saving and sharing ideas between employees. It also easily breaks down geographical boundaries, as people from all of Xerox’s offices around the world can join in and connect.
Westfield uses Yammer to help with employee collaboration and better information sharing amongst staff. It is also useful for mobile working, as staff can access/share information whilst on the go.
Capgemini have found that Yammer can help them save time as employees can pull ideas and resources much more easily. It has also been helpful in reducing the number of internal emails, which makes communication more focused, but also saves significantly more time for staff.

Do you already use Yammer or another social media tool internally for your business and find it benificial? Please let us know your feedback below!

Images courtesy of Yammer

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