I was meeting with a potential new client this week, and before we got into the core elements of the meeting, she pulled out her new phone.
She had been at a dinner party on the weekend, and a good friend of hers had just been given the same new device by her company, and she was showing off latest features over wine and dessert. My client went out and bought one the next day.
It made me think about the power of referrals from friends and how, as small business owners, we may not be leveraging the power of one our greatest assets: our employees.
Think about how PR is still being handled by most small businesses. The voice of the company is often communicated by the CEO and with a small group of well-trained executives approved to speak to the media. Stakeholder communications is controlled by the corporate communications department and all messages are reviewed and approved before seeing the light of day.
Before an interview is done, Q&As are developed and run-throughs are done in advance of anyone getting on the phone with a reporter.
Don't get me wrong, there is definitely a role for executive-level thought leadership and thoroughly prepared CEO communications. But what a lot of companies don't think to leverage is their large team of employees and their vast social networks and communities of trusted friends. Employees are some of your most passionate brand ambassadors.
The first step is to establish a social media code of conduct. Clearly communicate best practices and rules of engagement to every employee. Transparency is important and critical to ensure authentic communications. Always take the time to work with your team so that they follow the highest ethical standards.
Second, align your social media communications with the areas of expertise across your team. Find product or service experts that are passionate about a certain application, industry or customer base, and empower those individuals to blog or tweet as part of their roles and responsibilities.
Expand the company voice by engaging more employees and leveraging their networks to the benefit of your products and services.
Another great strategy is to capture more video. Encourage your employees to carry a recording device and provide basic training to ensure the quality is usable back at the office. Your employees spend a lot of time in the field, at events, and with customers. Take advantage of these opportunities to capture your products in action.
It's easy to film and share, and it's often the most powerful mode of communications. It's also way more cost effective than hiring a video crew after the fact to try to recreate something great.
Finally, elevate some of your best communicators into thought leadership positions. A great company spokesperson is not always the most senior individual. It is often the product or service expert that is passionate about your business and spends a lot of time with customers.
These employees are the experts that media and bloggers want to talk to, as they provide real examples of how products and services are being used in the field. They also tend to be more available, an important trait reporters look for in spokespeople.
The channels of communications have expanded exponentially in the past few years. It may be time to rethink your pool of company spokespeople, and to look for ways to better leverage your extensive employee base as part of your overall communications and social media strategy.
Mia Pearson is the co-founder of North Strategic . She has more than two decades of experience in creating and growing communications agencies, and her experience spans many sectors, including financial, technology, consumer and lifestyle.