Article Topic – Social media: the business perspective

Business Times, Monday, 13th Feb 2012

Social media: the business perspective. How important are social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, and social media technologies generally, to businesses? Do companies like yours need to do anything in the light of this growing phenomenon, and if so, what?

THE world has been forever changed, thanks to the advent of social media. And it is imperative that businesses embrace social media technologies, be they B2C or B2B companies. Compared to websites, which are a relatively static platform, social media is much more dynamic, allowing the company to disseminate information about its latest products and services to the market with unprecedented speed and at low or no cost.

Through social media, businesses can target and engage both external and internal stakeholders from customers and clients to even employees, as it could be used as a platform for employee engagement as well. However, having said that, the drawback of social media in the workplace is that it poses a distraction for employees who log onto their social media accounts for idle chat and such during office hours. To manage such situations, companies may need to put in place certain policies regarding the use of social media in the workplace.

Ronald Lee
Managing Director
PrimeStaff Management Services Pte Ltd