Under the Influencer: Social Media for Stakeholder Relations

Speech bubbles emerge from a smartphone held by a woman.
Oct 24, 2017 Alex Berry Trendspotting

Conventionally, a company engages with its stakeholders through formal consultations – at panel discussions and routine meetings with community groups, NGOs, government representatives and anyone impacted by the company’s activities. These events are an essential part of honest reporting – a 2016 CSR report trend – and provide a company valuable insight on where they can have the greatest impact and what they need to improve to satisfy the needs of stakeholders. But, as the landscape for communication evolves and society grows increasingly accustomed to instant connectivity, the formula for effective stakeholder engagement must respond accordingly. Enter, social media.

Corporate social (media) responsibility

Since 2014, the number of reporting companies with active social channels has more than doubled. And, in that time, we have seen leaps and bounds achieved by way of innovative sustainability communications on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Where once a company might have shared a link to a recently launched CSR report on its corporate Twitter page, we now see entire social media accounts devoted to a company’s CSR initiatives. Take for example, @HPSustainable. Launched in 2015, the channel has more than 19,000 followers and posts multiple times a day, sharing updates on the activities of HP’s leadership to drive the company’s sustainability strategy forward. Especially noteworthy is HP’s frequent participation at CR summits, conferences and festivals – such as the Global Citizen Festival. The company is not just talking about sustainability; it’s actively pursuing it with its online and offline audiences.

Follow the leaders

Some companies even go a step further to put a face to their sustainability program – promoting accounts owned by their sustainability leaders that offer a more personal side and authentic opinion of CR strategies. Marks & Spencer’s Director of Sustainable Business, Mike Barry, is a great role model for corporate communications professionals looking to engage on social. He is not afraid to rally around both the good and bad behaviours of big business and to put his support forward for other companies that show a strong commitment to CR.

And it’s not just sustainability managers and directors getting in on the game. Closer to home, the GTAA’s Vice President, Stakeholder Relations and Communications, Hillary Marshall, has a social voice that is frank and authentic, while at the same time speaking to the company’s beliefs. “I try to stay true to who I am while respecting the values of the airport. It’s a fine line to walk – a personal account should differ in voice from a corporate account to avoid blurring lines too much, but a truly successful social media persona is a blend of both personal and professional.”

Three phones display the twitter accounts of Sustainability experts.

When it comes to Sustainability, The Works has a few favourite Twitter gurus: Mike Barry of Marks and Spencer, Paul Polman of Unilever, and Hillary Marshall at the GTAA.

The other kind of social investment

In our Trends report this year, we identify a number of best practices for stakeholder engagement, one of which includes showing that you care about what your stakeholders want by acknowledging and addressing their concerns. What better way to show that you’re paying attention than by responding directly to investors, employees and community members through social media messaging. In our increasingly media-saturated society, 140 characters are worth a thousand words. It’s a short investment we feel is very worth making.

 

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Alex Laderoute is a writer and social media strategist at The Works Design Communications.
Alex Berry
Alex Laderoute is a writer and social media strategist at The Works Design Communications.

Alex is part of our writing team and specializes in digital content ranging from social media and blogs to video scripts and SEO strategy. She bikes to work every day, rain or shine – and for that, people call her hardcore. You can find her on Twitter at @imallyberry.

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