Ok, I admit it… Until now, social media has never been something I was very interested in. Because I never needed to use it in my previous positions, I never really made the effort to learn about it, how it worked and how beneficial it could be as a promotional tool.
In my personal life, although I have had Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts for a while, I always chose ‘doing’ things as opposed to being glued to my computer ‘writing’ about things. As a result, my accounts remained largely inactive.
Earlier this summer, when I was promoted to Communications Officer, I knew it was time for me to grab the social media bull by the horns and learn how to use it – effectively. Not only did social media skills become a job requirement, but to my surprise, it was also a fun way to connect with people from other health care organizations and people in the community.
Although social media activities are currently being managed by the Communications Manager, I got to post a few tweets while she was away on vacation. I had so much fun that Twitter quickly became my favorite tool. I enjoyed it mostly because I could share relevant information (including links and photos), very quickly. Being part of a team of two people, we have to be able to do things quickly, or we miss deadlines. Although we only have 1,379 followers, it was great to see some of the more committed ones re-tweet some of my posts, allowing me to reach an even broader audience.
We also have a Facebook account, to which we post content, but don’t use to interact with people, as well as a LinkedIn account, which is strictly used by Human Resources to post hard to fill positions. However, the latter has worked so well for promoting vacant positions over the last two months, that Human Resources is now struggling to find the resources to screen all the applications received through the social media tool, which has led me to ask myself: Can too much social media success turn into failure? This is an issue I am hoping to be able to help Human Resources address as I get more familiar with the tool.
Although still very ‘green’ when it comes to social media, I now understand what it’s about and am starting to grasp just how big a difference it can make for an organization. I now look forward to becoming ‘the’ social media resource within my organization and transferring my newly acquired skills to the Bruyère senior leadership team, so they can also take part in this incredibly powerful world of online relationship-building.
Hope you enjoyed reading my first ever blog. Until next time, work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 