Need brand ambassadors on social networks? Look no further than your own employees. This often untapped social media resource has a vested interest in making the brand look great, so it’s time to put that enthusiasm to work for your online reputation. These tips will help you transform staff into enthusiastic brand ambassadors.

Implement a corporate social media policy.

Protect yourself and the company by developing a social media policy. Need help? Ask an employee who already inhabits the social media realm to research what will make a smart policy for your company. It should provide guidelines for keeping communications professional (for instance, ask them to refrain from using off color language) while allowing staff the freedom to be authentic. Periodically revisit the policy to ensure it stays up to date with the constantly changing online landscape.

Provide comprehensive training.

Don’t limit training to how to interact with customers on a social network. Provide training on the internal workflows that make the interactions successful. For example, imagine the PR department receives an irate tweet from a customer who just purchased a product. Does PR handle the message? Does customer service? Make sure the team knows the protocols.

Use tools like internal webcasts to provide tutorials on using social media in an effective and brand-building way. Share your brand’s goals for utilizing social network sites; provide examples of best practice communications; and supply workflow visuals.

Recognize the stars.

When one of your staff becomes a star social media ambassador, reward their efforts. For example, ask them to serve on an internal social media task force or solicit their advice on a new web project. Also consider highlighting the employee’s efforts on internal and external blogs.

Be the good example.

It’s useless to tout good brand ambassadorship to the staff when you or another member of management is flaming an unsatisfied customer on Yelp. Set the example by using social media with professionalism.

Get help when necessary.

Not every company has the staff and resources to implement the responsive engagement needed in the networked world. It might be time to consider an outsourced solution. Social Strategy1 provides experts ready to interact with customers on your behalf. Contact our team to learn what our professional brand ambassadors will do for you.