Among the first free tax-supported public libraries in Canada, the Kitchener Public Library (KPL) opened in 1884. Its vision is To inspire and enrich for life. In 2017, they rolled out a new strategic plan which will focus on four goals : Work Together Ignite Community Conversations Foster Belonging Bold Leadership I met with Charlotte Prong, Social Media Editor of KPL a few weeks ago to talk about their use of social media. As an organization without a traditional sales model, their use of social media is used primarily for brand awareness. The community needs to know that the library goes beyond books; it’s a place where people connect with each other and to the resources they need.

In today’s time and age, social media has become embedded in the daily workings of not only corporate organisations but also that of the government authorities.  Governments around the world are looking to innovate and find ways to engage with tech savvy audience of today. As in the words of Hugh Elliot, former Director of Communications, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, “Diplomacy is about understanding and exercising power.  Power is about presence.  Today, to be known, you must be digital.” Hugh Elliot’s words are a clear manifestation of how governments today think of social media. UK government understands that digital technology and social media spaces have an enormous potential to engage, do business and provide services. Foreign and Commonwealth Organisation is an important part of the Whitehall and thus pioneered digital transformation within the organisation. Quick Facts about Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Commonly known as Foreign Office, it is the UK government’s department responsible for protecting and promoting British interests worldwide. Their network consists of 22 Central Foreign Office social media accounts, 268 Embassies, High Commissions, Consulates in 168 countries with pretty active social media accounts.  Collectively they have over 7 million followers on their more than 700 official social media profiles across the world, on channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, with their most popular content reaching hundreds of thousands of people. “Today it’s (digital communications) absolutely central to the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It’s a key tool in our diplomatic arsenal and skilful digital communications is increasingly non-negotiable for modern diplomacy. Those who do it best will set the agenda and ultimately effect change. Jack Pearson, Senior Digital Communications Manager. Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a vision to see digital embedded in every element of foreign policy, leading to more effective, more open FCO that can take full advantage of the networked world. Customer Services: FCO has a vision to provide its services digitally by default, allowing them to deliver more effective and responsive services. Thus maximising the resource available for those in need of assistance. Online platforms offered that cost effective solution for them. As per Rob Eason, Managing Director, Global Digital Technology at FCO Services, We are looking at Big Data and big data analytics as methods of improving our insight into how our global network runs. The analysis we hope to get will allow us to optimise the performance of our overseas… Read more »

There are various ways in which organizations may utilize social media as a tool to help various areas of their company perform better in today’s business climate. Although many organizations already use social media within certain facets of the workplace, social media may also be applied across the whole organization to create more effective business plans throughout the entire company. For example, rather than simply focusing on using social media for only marketing and customer engagement purposes, a company may decide to work on integrating strategies to aid employee involvement, product development/design, metrics and supply chain management, to increase the effectiveness of the organization as a whole. However, in order to make this strategy possible, businesses require the integration of enterprise social media which provides the platforms necessary for all departments within an organization to communicate and share unique department data with one another. In other words, enterprise social media works to help all departments in their collaboration and planning processes in order that social media may be successfully integrated across the whole organization. In turn, enterprise social media, if implemented carefully and strategically, has various benefits to add to a company’s business performance. One company that is reaping the rewards of enterprise social media includes major food processing company MARS, who has successfully integrated social media across it’s organization. Although the first thought that may come to mind when considering the company from a Canadian perspective is the decadent Mars nougat and caramel chocolate bar, candy confectionary isn’t the only thing MARS produces. In fact, MARS also produces gum, beverages and even pet food! Another important fact to consider about the company is its global scale, as it produces and distributes products across the world.

Social media is prevalent in today’s society, so much so that it is almost more noticeable if a company doesn’t use it opposed to if they do. Looking at companies as a whole and studying how they are integrating social media through their enterprise allows us to better understand not only the company but their communication. Norwell Dairy is the largest dairy supply company in all of North America selling and servicing approx. 1700 dairy customers in Ontario. They have four locations across Ontario with the head office being in Drayton. Norwell employs just over 120 employees and communication and a social media plan is huge for them to ensure everyone is on the same page which can be done through effectively synchronizing the use of social media across the organization. Norwell’s vision as an organization is that “By continually seeking out new and innovative products to meet the ever-changing needs of our industry, Norwell has grown into the country’s largest dairy farm design, equipment and supply company.” Norwell wants to be able to provide dairy farmers with all the daily needs required to successfully milk their cows and run a profitable operation. Being able to service customers milking equipment and provide them with the tools needed to clean and care for their equipment is very important to ensure customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. It has been said that organizations are increasingly recognizing the benefits of enterprise-wide integration in the area of information technology, as they move away from legacy systems to integrated systems (often called Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) systems. This statement is very true for Norwell, as they have moved from basic IT systems to now have two in house IT personnel and a dynamic ERP system, NAV, as well as active on Facebook and Twitter. 

Social media, when used effectively, can have far reaching benefits for organizations. Those benefits can be even further maximized when an organization links and effectively synchronizes the use of social media efforts across the entire business.