This blog post is the final part of our mini-series guide in which we look at the best practices for enterprise social networks.
So you’ve made it through the hardest parts of implementing your enterprise social network: launching, moderating, and getting execs to participate. Now all you need to do is keep the momentum going! Here are some tips to help you make your network a success and ensure it stays that way.
Build your community steadily
You can’t force people to get involved in an enterprise social network any more than you can force people to make friends with each another. Conduct your roll out gradually and allow people to slowly make their way into the platform. A community will form on its own over time as people build relationships with one another. Sit back and watch it happen.
Share successes and reward people
Create use cases and success stories to share with your colleagues to publicise wins across the business. Shout-out and feature users that are leading the way in the enterprise social network, and reward and recognise good practice and users who help other colleagues.
Employ a passionate Community Manager
Get a Community Manager that is genuinely passionate about community. They will support and encourage users to engage with one another and build community relations. A Community Manager will train and support group owners empowering them to become micro-community managers. It’s important to remember that community managers are not social media managers – their role is to foster a community, not manage communications.
Focus on people, not on tools
Remember that your company has a social network already. The tools you’ve employed are simply to enable and extend it beyond physical barriers and better facilitate natural collaboration. Don’t dwell on whether people are using the tools ‘right’ but rather look at whether users are collaborating more easily, developing relationships quicker, and extending their professional-social circles wider.
Trust your employees
You’ve implemented this system to help your employees, so trust that they will use it for good. When people see the value in the system they will use it as it should be used, and conversely when people use it as it should be used they will see the value. So make sure that you don’t put too many barriers in the way of adoption. Trust that they will use it professionally and within the bounds of company codes.
If you follow these guidelines you and your colleagues should gain vast amounts of value through your enterprise social network. Remember, the success of the network rests on it becoming integrated into the way people work and communicate. It’s not easy to change the way people think or connect with others, so be patient and persistent.
Very best of luck with your enterprise social network! We’d love to hear how you get on in the comments below.
This blog post is part of our mini-series guide in which we look at the best practices for enterprise social networks. The series:
1. About to implement an enterprise social network? Wait! Read this first.
2. Successfully launch your enterprise social network with these 5 steps
3. A simple guide to moderating your enterprise social network
4. Sceptical execs scuppering your enterprise social network? Here’s how to win them around.
5. Top tips for making your enterprise social network a runaway success
