COMMUNICATION POLICIES VS THE NEW SOCIAL MEDIA?

While drinking my morning coffee, I came upon an article regarding implementation and execution of social media and its effect on the company’s communication policy. The article was written by Michelle Golden and appeared in The Practical Accountant (an oxymoron, by the way). As our firm plunges headlong into the uncharted world of social media communication, I found this article very insightful.

The 30 and under crowd is comfortable with all the new communication technology. So why are the over-30s (the managers) uncomfortable? Ms. Golden points out that there are five basic reasons:
1. Fear of the Unknown (ie, lack of knowledge in the area)
2. Professionalism (ie, how will the client receive the message)
3. Time Waste (ie, these are personal activities, not business)
4. People Skills (ie, are we under developing basic people skills)
5. Legal Concerns (ie,will these new media hold up in court)

A closer look at these items reveals that the issue is not generational, but rather one of understanding. It is understanding how each individual delivers his message, and understanding how the client will receive the message. As a manager, this should be our focus.

So how do we learn and implement these skills? There are three possible solutions:

The first option is to hire a professional communication firm to implement and teach your staff. A second option would be to rely on the under-30 employees to educate the rest of your staff. Finally, a company can incorporate both options one and two. We chose the third option, as young staffers rarely understand the significance of client communications.

One word of warning, though. Ultimately, the decision of how to communicate with a client is not yours….it is your client’s. The one person that should dictate how you reach a client is the CLIENT!

by Steve Cook