Management 2.0: How to Use Social Media to Boost Productivity

Social media: it’s not just for marketing anymore

Usually, when companies talk social media, the discussion revolves around how these networks can be used to strengthen connections and facilitate communication between their brand and their customers. However, what most companies almost never consider is how social media platforms can also be used internally to strengthen connections and facilitate communication between management and employees. In fact, more often than not, the use of social media in the workplace is a hot-button topic for managers who fear the specter of distraction and idleness. So is it really possible that social media – with its reputation as the ultimate time-waster – can actually promote productivity? Let’s take a look:

Facebook

As a manager, when you think of employees using Facebook at work, you probably imagine cubicles filled with people frittering away valuable company time posting status updates, commenting on friends’ photos and playing games like Farmville. But have you considered how you could use your employees’ affinity for Facebook to your advantage to foster better internal communication? By using the “Secret Group” setting, you can create a group that is visible only to its members. This option – along with the new Group Chat feature that allows multiple people to participate in a topic thread – make Facebook a great tool for far-flung teams to use for collaboration and brainstorming.

Twitter

In the world of social media, Twitter has perhaps the worst reputation as a forum for the inane. However, it’s also an invaluable weapon in the competitive arena. Never before has it been easier to keep tabs on your competitors, your customers and the trends that are shaping your industry and business today. Following the right companies, people and media outlets creates an infinite stream of information to cull for ideas and inspiration. Encourage your employees to keep their radar up and to share interesting finds with one another, and you may just find that the seeds of your Next Big Thing spring from Twitter. In addition, consider setting up a private Twitter account for your company, selecting the “protect my tweets” option to limit the visibility of your tweets only to those you allow to follow the account (i.e., your employees). Suddenly Twitter becomes a very useful tool for broadcasting company-wide updates and announcements – particularly if you’re managing a virtual workforce whose members are scattered across a number of different physical locations.

Google+

While brand pages for Google+ have yet to be unleashed, the ability to use the platform as an internal communication tool is already here. Specifically, the Hangout feature offers a free and easy-to-use group video chat platform. From remote presentations to meetings between colleagues who are traveling to impromptu discussions – there are a myriad of potential uses for Hangouts. And since Google+ is built into the Google suite of products, it won’t be a hard sell to your employees, since chances are good that they’re already using a number of other tools like Gmail, Docs and Reader.

New tools for a new workforce

As clichéd as the saying may be, when it comes to social media and productivity, it’s time to start thinking outside the box. These are tools to be embraced, not feared. Social media networks are where people live online today. Your employees use social media; they like and are familiar with its platforms and their conventions. So if you’re looking for new tools to promote productivity, improve communication and foster innovation among the members of your team, why not start with the ones that are already an integral part of their lives? Still not sold? Just remember this: at one point email was considered a waste of company time and money…and we all know how that turned out.

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Is Your Site Easy to Navigate? Six Ways to Put an End to Dead Ends

Site navigation is one of the more important pieces to successful website management. Unfortunately, there are far more ways to do it wrong than right. If users can't navigate or even struggle to find what they're looking for, they'll move on with the click of the "Back" button - one of those nasty navigation buttons that works all too well. Site navigation doesn't have to be complex, even if you have a great deal of content across lots of categories. With a few simple best practices in place, you can dramatically improve how your site visitors are able to find information and continue interacting with our site.

1. Search bar

Probably the most under-discussed and under-rated feature that every site should take advantage of is a search bar. This allows users to quickly type in product names or anything else they may be looking for specifically. Make sure you check your own search results on occassion to be sure that the feature works and is easy for users to work with. Also, put your search bar in a prominent place in or near the banner of your website. The search bar sometimes gets lost along a sidebar, which can be frustrating for users who just want to find information quickly.

2. Horizontal navigation tools

A common mistake in navigation design is to put the primary links only in a vertical menu in a sidebar. A navigation best practice for modern sites is to use a horizontal menu bar at or near the top of the page. You don't have to put every link to your site in the navigation bar. The key is to provide quick, consistent access to the main pages on your site. If you have an "About Us" page, make sure that this link is always in the nav menu. If you have sub-pages, you can list these links within the "About Us" page, for example, or in a drop-down menu.

3. Common naming

Avoid odd naming of links to primary pages. While this might seem interesting, it confuses some website users and all search engines. For example, avoid calling the "About Us" page something like "Our Info". This could mean your contact information, your address, your "About Us" page - "Our Info" could means lots of things. But we all know what an "About Us" page is. So stick with the standards on this one so that your visitors can find what they need right when they need it.

4. Use arrows for drop-down menus

If you use drop-down menus in the horizontal navigation bar, include a visual cue like a downward facing arrow for these menus so users know a drop-down menu is present. It's annoying when you go to click on an "About Us" menu item and it springs open to reveal several sub-pages, but it's too late - you've already clicked it and now the site is taking you somewhere else. The same goes for sub-sub-menus. You know, the drop-down menus that then open up into another set of options? Yeah, those. From a navigation standpoint, these are fine, but make sure the menu has an arrow that points to the right so users know another menu is about to open.

5. Breadcrumbs

If your site includes multiple categories or a progressive experience (such as filling out a multipage form or a shopping cart), provide breadcrumbs along the top but below the main navigation window. This allows users to tell where they are at in the heirarchy of your site and can quickly jump back a few steps without starting over.

6. Logo goes home

And for those visitors that need to zip back to your home page, make sure the logo links back to your home page. This is just a common practice, but studies are showing that this logo link is used far more often than realized. A common example is after a user has placed an item in their cart, they want to start over and find another item. While many users tend to just go to the search bar or use the breadcrumbs, another prominent set uses the logo link to get back to the home page and start over.

Conclusion

Site navigation is very important and these few, simple best practices can make navigating your site all the more easy. Often it just takes a few small changes to make a big improvement, so get out there, review your site's navigation, and make it easier for your visitors to find what they're looking for.

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