There is a theme in the global mining industry which continues to make itself all more present in news articles, editorial columns and company websites. We seem to be witnessing conversations about advancing our communications strategies from internal and stakeholder messaging to a more "populous" approach.
"Mining companies must be the first source of information," says SME President, Steve Gardner.
If you are a miner or working for a mining company and you have just adopted social media into your communication endeavors (or perhaps you are thinking of doing so), here are some thoughts of what NOT to do along the way.
1. Expect Immediate Results. Starting a social media account means your brand is accessible. It does not deliver automatic following. I recommend testing your social media account for at least one year. By the end of that one year, take a look back at your account. Has your company shown a continued increase in followers? Are you reaching people you wouldn't normally communicate with? And, most importantly, taking a look at all of your posts and content, would you as an individual find the information valuable?
2. Allow Your Social Media Sites to Stall. Far too often I have run across social media sites from mining companies with an inactive presence. We're seeing great visibility in LinkedIn and Twitter for the industry to share their content and connect with industry-like professionals. If your company pages are accessible but you do not share company information in those pages, the inactive presence really is a lost opportunity to strengthen your brand. So, if your last post was in 2013, it would be time to strategies how to best utilize the tool in a consistent manner.
3. Place Social Media Responsibility on Interns. Speaking of social media management, its easy for decision-makers to say, "Let the new intern take it over. She's young and hip. Must be on social media all the time!" The fact still remains that the person is an intern and will most likely be at the company for a very short time. Far too short to develop anything sustainable, like a full year's worth of content (see #1). The responsibility of posting content could lie in the hands of 1-2 people within your company, but those content ideas should come from all individuals within. Remember, your employees are the best brand advocates for your social media sites. Not only can they provide great content, but they can also actively distribute that content to their own personal social media networks. Encourage them to do so.
For more information on social media for the mining industry, message Clear Creek Digital for an invitation to the June 30 Webinar on this very topic.