As anyone working in HR, advertising or virtually any other industry knows, change is the only constant in the workforce today. Those that hold on to tired, traditional methods, who scoff at social media and other new technology, and reject new ways of doing their job or communicating with industry colleagues are in big trouble–most will either change their tune or risk being left behind.
Most of us industry vets (myself included) looked at the rise of social media with an interested, cautious and sometimes skeptical eye. However, it didn’t take much brain power to realize that no matter what your preconceived ideas were (not to mention how some people misuse it in staggeringly annoying ways), social media is an undeniably robust, immediate and effective tool for delivering your message and interacting with your target audience. If you stop and think what sites like Facebook and LinkedIn have done and how they have connected people in just the last few years, it’s no wonder they’ve soared in popularity.
The downside? From a business perspective, I think some people got carried away in thinking that social media–or any communication tool or technology for that matter–could be a panacea for business processes or relationships that are already broken. Certainly, no web 2.0 tool is going to replace face-to-face communication or real interpersonal skills. Furthermore, if your recruiting function fails miserably when it comes to delivering a positive candidate experience, a nice Facebook page won’t fix that. If you work in an organization that doesn’t recognize its employees as the company’s most valuable asset, clever Tweets won’t magically make everything all right.
Speaking of Twitter, I must admit that while I was excited by LinkedIn and Facebook, I really thought I would hit the wall at Twitter. My first exposure of Twitter was from dopey celebrities giving us near constant updates on the minutiae of their lives. Then regular people began tweeting in the same way, and it was as if your most annoying Facebook friends–the ones notorious for their nonsensical, stream-of-consciousness updates–had found a way to take that annoyance level up a notch–and hammer you constantly about how sleepy they are or important proclamations like: Today is laundry day!
Then I started using Twitter as a business application and I saw things in a whole new light. Not only do I tweet myself and follow many of my co-workers (Jen Hitchens-Greenfield and Annette DeHaven) and industry gurus, I am also the person who tweets for Alstin. Like many Twitterers, I’m still learning–thankfully I have some real pros at Alstin to help me–but my experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive. In just the last year, we’ve cultivated great leads using Twitter, reconnected with former customers we’ve lost touch with and found new prospects. I’ve seen clients tweet out new openings at their organizations and, at Alstin, we also use Twitter as an effective way to get our message out–whether it’s updates on our services, information about our blogs and newsletters, etc.
Finally, by using Twitter to follow people in HR, recruiting, advertising and other industries (twellow is a great resource to find people to follow), I’ve read a ton of articles and discovered resources I simply wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Will Twitter still be around in 2 years? Maybe not. LinkedIn has already incorporated tweets into their interface–maybe soon tweets will be a function of a larger social media tool that will be more of a one-stop shop. If you’re an HR pro and want more information on recruiting in the Twittersphere, don’t miss Jen’s blog on Recruiting in the Twittersphere. Got some more questions? Let us know here on the blog, or send an email to blog@alstin.com.
