Employee Social Media Use and its Impact on Brand Image

Desklib provides solved assignments and past papers to help students succeed.

MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION
(CASE STUDY)
Assessment Task 3
1

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
1. Introduction of social media tools across an organisation and challenges posed by social media
tools by the traditional channels of communication........................................................................3
2. What impact might an individual employee's comments or behaviour on social media have on
an organisation's identity, image or reputation in the sense that broader and unintended audiences
might see it?.....................................................................................................................................4
3. What social media interaction should a company’s social media policy cover?.........................5
4. The communication plan.............................................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8
2

To : Staff Member of Sunshine 100
From : Jane Wilson
Date : May 5, 2019.
Subject : Social media policy of Sunshine
Introduction
This report explains that the employees behave and activities on social media for the
organisation, they are working. It helps to understand that employees play a significant role in
making or ruining company image on social media in just a post on social media. The report
helps to understand the difference and similarities of social media tools and traditional
communication tools. The importance of having social media policies will be discussed so that
the company can protect themselves and encourage their employees to act responsibly on social
media.
1. Introduction of social media tools across an organisation and challenges posed by social
media tools by the traditional channels of communication.
Social media tools are getting popular these days. These are now a new generation of marketing
tools. Many companies are using social media tools for their marketing and sales of their
products and services. Social media has a vast customer bank from all over the world that attracts
companies from across the globe to promote their services and products. Using social media
tools are not easy though. Things go quickly viral, and rumours can easily spread on social
media, so it has their significant disadvantages also among the organisation (Oltulu, et al., 2018).
Tradition communication methods are not famous for marketing nowadays. It includes old
school methods such as newspapers, telephones, letter and face to face interaction etc. There are
many challenges of using social media tools when it comes to using those for products or
services of the company (Gibbs et al., 2013). The following table represents the contrast and
comparison between social media tools and traditional communication tools.
Comparisons factors Social media tools Traditional communication
methods
3

 Different Costs
 Customer Reach
 The focus of the
marketing
 Frequency
 Social media tools are
not expensive for
companies.
 With the help of
social media
companies can reach
to the world.
 On social media,
things are not focused
on individuals.
 Social media tools can
show fast and quick
responses.
 Traditional methods
are comparatively
expensive for the
company.
 Traditional methods
have limited access to
customers.
 It has very customer
focused marketing.
 Traditional tools are
comparatively not that
fast or quick.
Contrast factors Social media tools Traditional
communication methods
 Effective
communication
methods
 Social media is a handy
communication tool.
 Traditional
communication
tools also have a
significant impact
on customers.
2. What impact might an individual employee's comments or behaviour on social media
have on an organisation's identity, image or reputation in the sense that broader and
unintended audiences might see it?
Employees are the representative of any of the organisations. They would consider the prime
face of the company. They are the people who interact with customers, and their behaviours
inside and outside the workplace explain a lot about the company's culture values. Their actions
can build up the image, but they have the power to quickly, fast ruin the picture as well. Brand
image is directly related to the employees of the organisation. Nowadays everyone is using social
4

media to interact with others. These methods are more common in workplaces nowadays.
Employees use them for communicating, sharing information and all with all of the other
employees of the organisation. Companies want their employees to promote their products and
services through their social media accounts, but sometimes a negative picture or negative
comment can easily damage the brand's image. Customers are, and they would prefer to read
reviews or people's experiences before buying any products or services. Negative comments can
easily break that faith with that prospective customer and spread rumours negatively about the
customers (Gil et al., 2017).
3. What social media interaction should a company’s social media policy cover?
Sunshine 100 was planning to launch their organic baby food line, and an employee of the
organisation posted a picture of refreshments during the launch event and added a caption' junk
food' which spread overnight. It defiantly ruins the company's image and branding. That's how
social media tools could spread a negative image of the company and quickly destroy the
reputation of the companies. Social media has the power to make everything trending overnight
which helps them to spread rumours about everything very quickly. Sunshine 100 has no such
social media policies for the employees but Jane Wilson, social media director of the sun 100
handed over a handbook to the employees who have some guidelines regarding their social
media uses and posts during working hours (Omar & Ahmed, 2018). The following are the
essential points which social media policy for the employees of the organisation should be
included.
No social media platforms use during working hours –Jane should include this point for sure
that all the employees are not allowed to use social media during working hours. It will send a
great working environment message to the world.
No secret information – Employee should do not post any details about the any of company's
secret policies or strategies or upcoming events etc. It would be not entrained at any costs
(Ferreira et al., 2012).
Act responsibly- Company has a branding image in the market so all the employees should act
responsibly about their social media behave and posts. Employees should try to be kind and
show the right picture of them on social media.
5

Observation – Company's management will observe each, and every employee social media
behave and comment very profoundly. Anything negative about a company without having any
evidence will not tolerate (Smith et al., 2016).
4. The communication plan
1. Timing  May 5, 2019
2. Audience  It includes all the employees of the organisation
including all part-timers also.
3. Sender  Jane Wilson,
Director of Social Media
4. Key Message Company has been made some changes in its social
media policy and all the employees are informed that
these changes will be applicable by today itself. The
company faced some negative consequences recently,
so now management decides to make necessary
changes, kindly follow all of them without no excuse
from today itself. Those changes are the following:
 Limited access to social media during working hours.
 No personal information should be leaked.
 Behaviours of employees will be observed.
5. Desired outcomes  Follow all rules & regulations with immediate effect.
6. Medium  All methods for communication using all practices
will be allowed.
7. Materials  Follow all rules on social media as well and act
responsibly.
8. Frequency  Weekly basis
6

Conclusion
The impact of employees uses of social media on a company's reputation, and brand image has
been discussed in this report. Employees are indirect representative of the company and their act;
behaviours make an impact on the company' branding. This report has been explained the
importance of having and following some social media policies at the workplace not only for
Sunshine 100 but also for every company as well.
7

References
1. Finocchario-Kessler, Sarah, Catley, Delwyn, Thomson, Domonique, Bradley-Ewing,
Andrea, Berkley-Patton, Jannette & Goggin, Kathy 2012, 'Patient communication tools to
enhance ART adherence counselling in low and high resource settings', Patient
Education and Counseling, vol. 89, no. 1, pp. 163–170.
2. Gibbs, Jennifer L, Eisenberg, Julia, Rozaidi, Nik Ahmad, Gryaznova, Anna & Murthy,
Dhiraj 2015, 'The "Megapolitan" Role of Enterprise Social Media in Enabling Cross-
Boundary Communication in a Distributed Russian Organization', American Behavioral
Scientist, vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 75–102.
3. Gil de Zúñiga, Homero & Liu, James H 2017, 'Second Screening Politics in the Social
Media Sphere: Advancing Research on Dual Screen Use in Political Communication with
Evidence from 20 Countries', Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 61, no.
2, pp. 193–219,
4. O. Ferreira, C. A. Lima, R. R. Balbino & G.G. Hornick 2012, 'Online Communication
Tools in Biochemistry Teaching', Journal of Biochemistry Education, vol. 10, no. 2,
5. Oltulu, Pembe, Fındık, Sıdıka & Özer, İlkay 2018, 'The Usage of Social Media Tools in
Dermatology and Dermatopathology: A New Generation Vocational Communication and
Education Method', Turk Dermatoloji Dergisi, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 80–84.
6. Omar Bali, Ahmed 2018, 'Communication Tools to Fight Bureaucratic Corruption in
Iraqi Kurdistan: A Case Study', SAGE Open, vol. 8, no. 4.
7. Smith, Kenneth J, Handler, Steven M, Kapoor, Wishwa N, Martich, G. Daniel, Reddy,
Vivek K & Clark, Sunday 2016, 'Automated Communication Tools and Computer-Based
Medication Reconciliation to Decrease Hospital Discharge Medication Errors', American
Journal of Medical Quality, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 315–322.
8