Question

The key challenges associated with the use of social media by organizations when communicating with stakeholders? Give some examples

Answer 1

Key challenges -

Social media is no longer just about connecting with friends or posting, liking and sharing content.

Many businesses have adopted social technologies as a new way of working and collaborating.

But with this, new risks have emerged which organizations need to understand and manage. Reputational risk is usually the first thing companies think of when considering social media risk.

A poorly planned social media post can quickly result in a barrage of complaints and catapult the company’s name to the front pages for the wrong reasons.

But when thinking about social media in the enterprise it’s important to think about what else is at stake.

Cyber attacks against social media accounts are increasing, as are data breaches and regulators have the power to fine companies who fail to manage social media risk.

Finally, cross-business digital projects are not cheap and businesses are under pressure to show return on their investment and therefore need to ensure that their projects are well governed and address all risks.

Marketing used to be the obvious key stakeholders for social media. But, as social media matured, other stakeholders from across any of the businesses will be involved and have important roles to play.

Nowadays it’s not uncommon for social media to touch almost all parts of a business, from marketing, sales and communications, to IT, HR, legal, risk and compliance.

It’s important that these departments have representation at social media working groups and have clear reporting lines to the overall body which owns social media.

People only retain about 10% of the information they hear, but when paired with a relevant image, that number jumps to 65%. You want your message to stick with people.

Photos and videos have become powerful tools for marketers looking to communicate effectively with followers.

Visual content has taken over almost every major social network, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

In fact, content with relevant images get 94% more views than content without them.