How Sage uses social media for internal comms

How can you connect a global workforce of 13,000 employees? What is it like to have the most socially active CEO in the FTSE100? How you can collectively celebrate innovative communication in a transparent way?

SageThis week I spotted Sage employees Tweeting enthusiastically about #sociableday. It was clear they were sharing what they were working on internally to the wider world via social media.

It piqued my interest, particularly the answers to the queries above. So I asked Emilie Carr, Internal Communication and Incentive Manager at Sage UKI to let All Things IC blog readers know what they did, why it took place and what they learned.

You can find Emilie on Twitter @Emilie5176, she describes herself as being passionate about supporting colleagues in delivering exceptional customer experience.

Sage is a global company, working with 6.2 million businesses across the world to help them with business management software and much more. Its roots are in the North East of England, with headquarters in Newcastle, where they first began.

I’ll hand you over to Emilie…

Let’s Get Social!

On Tuesday 26 May 2015, 13,000 Sage colleagues across the globe celebrated the power of social media with Sage #sociableday.

Sage statSocial media is a vital part of our communication toolkit, and at Sage we are committed to using this channel to internally communicate and engage with colleagues, and externally connect with our customers.

Sage energises the success of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) and their communities around the world through use of smart technology, and to capture the imagination of our people.

We’re passionate about linking with our customers and colleagues and celebrated this by hosting a global Sociable Day for everyone to be part of.

We know that 90% of businesses using social media technology say they benefit from it and that 70% of companies around the world are already using social technologies. (Tweet this)

SociabledaySo how can we support?

We’re passionate champions of SME’s and are always looking at ways to make their lives easier, by giving them the freedom to explore new ideas, grow their business and focus on their customers.

On Tuesday we were thinking about how we support them socially.

At almost 100 locations around the world, in 23 countries, colleagues came together to celebrate social media as a communication channel, and we had a variety of activities taking place.

It was amazing to have some of our Sage Customers with us at the head office giving away goodies and treats to our colleagues. We had roadshows throughout the company where colleagues could go along to understand a little more about the phenomenon of social media and how this can support our customers.

Plus there was an opportunity to hear from our @SKellyCEO about his views on social media.

Sage 3Our CEO explained that social media will become part of the DNA of our company, and that he’d like to see colleagues embrace digital, to jump in with both feet and to get social. (Tweet this)

Stephen @SKellyCEO is the most active on Twitter of the FTSE 100 CEOs and has almost 7,500 followers. Stephen has already inspired many of us at Sage to be more active on social media.

(Want to know more? I’ve included more info on social CEOs at the end of this article – Rachel)

How Sage uses social media internally
Every day colleagues from around the world are using social media to stay connected with Stephen and to be part of the exciting journey we are on here at Sage.

This week we have been offering colleagues support and demos of social media with one goal in mind…. To build our people’s confidence in using social media!

We have received amazing feedback from the event, with colleagues across the globe attending roadshows and in true social spirit, turning to social media to share their views. We shared over 5000 Tweets including the ones below:

‘Sociable day has been such a great day – a fantastic way to learn more and to harness the power of social media’ another colleague said, ‘In Sage we are all about being sociable. Exciting times ahead’

A truly successful day on a global scale – colleagues in 23 countries getting one message of encouragement and support from our CEO and Sage leaders – let’s get social!

Post author: Emilie Carr

Thank you Emilie, congratulations on a successful day. What a refreshing CEO!

Have you got a story to share? Please see my guest article guidelines and do get in touch with your idea.

Further reading
Want to know more about social CEOs?

The seven FTSE100 CEOs who are active on Twitter: 

1. Sage Group CEO, Stephen Kelly, (@SKellyCEO)

2. Amec Foster Wheeler CEO, Samir Brikho (@samirbrikho)

3. London Stock Exchange CEO, Xavier Rolet (@xrolet)

4. Pearson CEO, John Fallon (@johnfallon)

5. National Grid CEO, Steven Holliday (@NGSteveH)

6. Aberdeen Asset Management CEO, Martin Gilbert(@MartinGilbert83)

7. ARM CEO, Simon Segars (@simonsegars)

Source: Telegraph.

Listen to this recent podcast by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ Social Media Panel on social CEOs:

CIPRSM

Social storytelling
People prefer brands with a story. The better you can tell your story, the more effective the power of your subsequent communications are to engage, inspire and stand out from others.

Thanks to social media, organisations can involve their audiences in their narrative like never before.

Want to know more? Download this free CIPR Skills Guide – Social Storytelling from my fellow CIPR social media panel members following their hack day last week.

What do you think about what you’ve read today? You’re welcome to comment below or Tweet me @AllthingsIC.

Thank you for stopping by.

Rachel

First published on All Things IC blog 28 May 2015.

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