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Corporations are finally waking up to the fact that they need to engage all their people in social media. The impact of social media on a company’s brand is monumental, and it affects everyone throughout your organization – from the entry-level millennials you just hired to your CEO.

Senior management often balks at the need to be social savvy, but according to a study by BrandFog, “CEOs are better leaders who can strengthen brands, build trust in products and services, demonstrate brand values, and communicate accountability – all by simply being on a social network.”

But where do you start?

LinkedIn

It’s the world’s largest professional network – growing with over 330+ million members
It’s the place where people go when they want to learn about your people. This includes customers or clients, business partners, employees, and potential hires. They can get information about your company on your website, but LinkedIn gives them a personal tour.

It’s an unbeatably efficient place to start. Not all social media have the influence that LinkedIn has. Those who aren’t actively engaged feel that they should be.
It has an unparalleled impact on your corporate brand, employer brand and the brand of your people. Let’s look at these benefits in-depth.

Corporate Branding

1. Make your business more human. When your leaders and people throughout the organization are on LinkedIn, they increase the authenticity, transparency and humanity of your organization. People want to work with and buy from other human beings.

2. Increase the visibility of your communications. A SlideShare from LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman shows that HubSpot employees have twice the average number of LinkedIn connections. And that translates into eight times the average numbers of shares, likes and comments of company content.

3. Grow sales and revenue. According to Weber Shandwick, employees with socially encouraging employers are significantly more likely to help boost sales than employees who don’t have that support – 72% vs. 48%.

4. Increase media mentions. When your people are using social media and are on LinkedIn, they become sources for journalists. ING’s Social Media Impact survey showed that dialogue on social media is gaining importance in the world of press coverage. In fact, 50% of the surveyed journalists say social media is their main source of information.

By William Arruda , Forbes