A training must for marketing departments: customers DO talk about your company!

Okay, maybe it's just me. But it seems that there is a blissful ignorance in marketing departments across the country. It goes something like this....

Marketer 1: Do you think customers will notice if we double the prices and start using much cheaper materials in our products?

Marketer 2: Nah. They're all too busy talking on Facebook and Twitter to care.

Why do I think that? And what in the heck does this have to do with company training? Let me tell you.

I just read a rant on a site called "Search Insider: The inside line on Search Marketing"... here's a little taste of what author Gord Hotchkiss had to say:

"...where do hotels get off charging exorbitant rates for WiFi access and then give you a thin dribble of bandwidth that shuts on and off like a bad neon light? Multiply 13 bucks a night by 200 or 300 rooms for an average-sized hotel. That's about $3,000 every day, or a million dollars a year. This isn't rocket science, people. For that money, I should have a data pipe the size of a Volvo plugged into my laptop."

Conversations like this, albeit maybe without Gord's style, are going on, online, every single day!

And yes, they happen on Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter... (and maybe even on MySpace, although I think most of those are limited to random posts from non-existent Scandanavian models looking for cash, I mean American husbands...) but most marketing departments seem to be blissfully unaware of what's being said.

And the people in the big offices upstairs? Even more unaware.

So here is the training part:

• Make sure everyone in your company knows how to use social media.


• Teach everyone in your company how to monitor social media.


• Get people in the habit of using it by creating company blogs, Facebook pages for employees, in-house Twitter accounts and other social tools. As a plus, not only will you be training people on the how-to's, you'll be increasing employee retention because connection=retention.

Not sure about the online world yourself? Look for webinars on social media, listening to buzz online and social marketing, then share the webinars and your new-found knowledge with the rest of the company.

Domino’s employee video goes viral, is poor training to blame?

When you order a pizza you generally trust that none of the toppings have landed in someone’s nose before they made it on your pizza. Right?

Sadly, there’s a new viral video sweeping the Internet that has seriously damaged customers’ trust in one of the country’s most popular pizza chains and two employees are to blame.

A couple of Domino’s employees are now unemployed and facing felony charges after posting videos of themselves defacing food while preparing it for delivery. The videos show an employee breaking various health-code standards including sticking cheese up his nose, putting nasal mucus on sandwiches and passing gas on salami before it made it onto a sandwich.

“We got blindsided by two idiots with a video camera and an awful idea,” said a Domino’s spokesman, Tim McIntyre, who added that the company was preparing a civil lawsuit. “Even people who’ve been with us as loyal customers for 10, 15, 20 years, people are second-guessing their relationship with Domino’s, and that’s not fair.” (New York Times)

Company President Patrick Doyle has posted a YouTube video of his own apologizing for the unacceptable behavior of these two infamous employees and asks that customers continue their support, despite the embarrassment it has brought to the company.

"You can be the safest driver, you know," McIntyre said. "But there's going to be that Friday night someone's drunk and comes from out of nowhere. You can do the best you can, but there's going to be the equivalent of that drunk driver that hits the innocent victim." (Advertising Age)

You hope that most employees would have enough common sense to refrain from illegal activity at work, let alone film it and post it on YouTube, but some may need a reminder from time to time.

A great way to remind employees how to act online when representing the company is through regular training. After you’ve developed a sound social media policy (read our guidelines for social media use), it’s time to explain the policy and consequences for not following that policy to employees.

How formal or informal your employee social media use training will vary depending on the nature of your business, but should give employees a clear understanding of what is considered acceptable online behavior when representing the company.

There’s no doubt that your policies and social media guidelines will change as new technologies and social networking tools emerge, so it’s best to provide training on an on-going basis.

The best way to defend your company against an unfortunate situation like what Domino’s is going through right now is through preparation. It’s impossible to control what employees will say about you online, but with clear policies, employee training and the proper planning, you’ll be in a much better place to handle any issue.

Do you think poor training could have played a role in Domino’s current dilemma? Does your organization train employees on how to represent the company online?

Employees want more informal, in-person communication

Whether your company is moving offices or has just gone through a round of layoffs, effective communication is critical throughout each step of the process. Employees who are informed will find it easier to adapt during a major change and at handle the stress it creates.

While most communications and human resources professionals are content with the amount of information they’re getting on the state of their company during the recession, many want more opportunities to use social media and have face-to-face conversations with company leaders, according to a survey by Heyman Associates Executive Search.

Heyman developed the survey to gauge the effectiveness of corporate communications in today’s difficult economy, Marketing Charts writes. According to survey respondents:

• 85% say their CEO has done a good job communicating with them, but
• 65% would still like more informal, in-person communication opportunities.
  

When the 550 respondents were asked whether they were getting the right amount of information about their company:

• 71% answered “yes”
• 17% answered “somewhat”
• 68% answered “no”
  

Those who were satisfied with the communication coming from their company said they are receiving information about the company’s short- and long-term prospects and challenges on a regular basis from an official and credible internal source. Sources included presentations, town-hall meetings, email newsletters, CEO blog teleconferences, intranet postings and staff meetings with their manager.

Those who were unhappy with the amount of information they were receiving say the lack of communication has been causing mistrust of the organization among employees.


Try something new

One of the most revealing findings is the way in which employees want to receive information. Though most companies utilize email and other mass communication methods, the survey showed that employees desire more in-person communications.

When asked how they would improve the way they receive information about their company, 65% of respondents would like more informal, face-to-face communication.

Written survey responses show that employees trust informal, in-person communication because it shows that the company wants employees informed on the latest information and encourages feedback.

Responses also indicated that more employees would like to see more use of social media within the company because of its interactive nature. Many respondents would like to see an mix of in-person and social media communication, believing that it will increase the frequency and trustworthiness of messages.

If your organization is experiencing major changes as a result of the recession, remember that including employees in the conversation and trying new forms of communication will improve your chances of success.

Does your company utilize any forms of social media for internal communication? Do you think it’s a useful tool when it comes to company communication?

Improve training, involve employees like Best Buy

How do you get employees engaged in training?

Have them make the employee training videos.

It may sound easier said than done, but it’s exactly how Best Buy managed to increase their 401k participation by 30% last year.

As the story goes, Best Buy’s HR team was struggling to find a way to boost their low 18% 401k participation rate. It looked like they were facing an uphill battle with more than half of the company’s employees are under the age of 24 and not the least bit worried about retirement.

So, in attempts to motivate their young employees, Best Buy launched a contest on their social networking site, BlueShirt Nation. Employees were challenged to submit motivating videos about what 401k plans mean to them.

The contest lasted just three months and Best Buy’s 401k participation had jumped to 47%, an almost 30% increase.

Here’s the winning video ...






Thanks to HR Marketer for bringing this great story to our attention. Have a Happy Friday!