Employees Want More Recognition Over More Money! Here’s How With Facebook

Nick Hughes

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I think we we can all admit: corporate life can, at times, just plain suck.  That might be the main reason a large number of employees tend to meander over to social sites such as Facebook or Twitter to see what is going on outside the firewall.

But are social technologies really a distraction?  Or can they be used to actually enhance the morale and engagement of the workforce?

The Taraci Social MediaMgr™, from Taraci Motivation, is an incentive marketing application that allows organizations to host and run employee incentive marketing programs entirely through Facebook.  It allows an organization to integrate the social and communications tools of Facebook into traditional incentive marketing programs.  Their vision is to transform how organizations run incentive programs by helping them fully integrate the power of social media.

“According to Gallop , about 10% of employees are highly engaged and since profitability is tied to employee attitude and moral, it’s more important than ever to motivate employees,” says Tom Taraci.

Recognition Over Money?

During this tough economic climate it’s more important than ever to motivate employees who are frustrated due to many factors, including constant downsizing, lack of promotions and salaries being frozen.   A simple  ”Good Job” or public employee appreciation in front of other employees on a social application will go a long way to keep employees happy.    Looks like Taraci Motivation understands how employees actually feel, here is an interesting list of what employees say they want compared to what employers think employees want.  Quite the disconnect if you ask me.

Employees just want to be recognized.  They want it over more money, more interesting work, job security, or good working conditions.

Seriously, just telling your employees they are doing a good job, more publicly and more often will greatly increase your company morale.  I wish my last employer knew that.  Oh well… man am I glad I now have my own company!

Basically, they help corporations leverage Facebook to offer employee incentives to keep them happy.

Well, if you can’t beat em, join em!

It’s an intelligent move, leveraging Facebook to get more from your work force rather than just firewall it.  The underlying message sent to employees when blocking a site like Facebook is one of distrust.  Using Taraci Social MediaMgr let’s your employees know “you get it” and “you understand.”

For example, the ‘like’ feature can be used to show friends and family a product users like within the catalog. Opinions can be posted to the wall. Participants can also ‘send’ messages to friends, family and co-workers to get feedback on their product selection or to let them know about their achievements in the workplace.

Current Incentives can include:

• Length of service — Rewards employees on their employment anniversary date
• Sale incentives — Rewards salespeople for reaching their goals
• Wellness programs — Rewards employees for achieving health fitness goals
• Safety programs — Rewards workers for reducing workplace accidents, reducing absenteeism
• Recognition programs — Rewards employees for accomplishing a specific task, or tasks, over a period of time
• Referral programs — Rewards employees or customers for recommending a new client
• Loyalty Programs – Rewards employees for length of service to an organization
• Casino Players Clubs – Rewards casino players with points for dollars wagered which can be redeemed for merchandise.

Incentive 2.0?

In the past, incentive programs were hosted on a standalone web site or simply through a printed catalog.  For corporations, it’s now possible to communicate real-time incentive marketing program updates, from adding rewards to celebrating winners.  Program administrators can also engage in a daily two-way dialogue with participants, not feasible with traditional online or print incentive programs.

It’s not a secret employees are spending more and more time on Facebook throughout the work day.   Corporations are realizing they need to join them in their environment, not just block the site.  The application is designed to improve corporations’ presence in social media by building their corporate communities and increasing the number of their followers on Facebook. By hosting the incentive program on corporate Facebook pages, there’s finally a way for corporations to connect with employees in an effective way through Facebook.

How it works

1 – A branded incentive marketing catalog is created for the corporation’s Facebook page by Taraci Motivation

2 – Once the program is officially launched, participants are directed to the corporation’s official Facebook Page

3 – By entering their username and password, employees can see their point totals and redeem rewards.

According to Taraci, the response to the Taraci Social Media Mgr has been tremendous.  The Taraci Motivation Mgr was first released in May 2011 and enhancements are continually being added to the application. “We’re  set to launch a number of new programs on Facebook in Q4 and continue to be in active discussions with a variety of category leaders in travel, shipping, entertainment, finance, marketing, consumer products and services, and more.”

From the looks of it, maybe more corporations should look into Taraci Motivation.  I hope so… with only 10% of the workforce highly engaged, companies need to do whatever it takes to keep their best employees happy.  I know I am.

@jnickhughes

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Student business wins online magazine contest

BREAK IT DOWN: Arizona Pro DJ’s Facebook page is ranked one of the best small business pages on the site. According to the results, the website stood out because of its graphics, prize incentives for liking the page and the interaction between the fans and the company. (Photo by Michaela Mader)

A disc jockey service company started by an ASU student was recognized Tuesday for having one of the best small business pages on Facebook.

Fans and friends on the social media site nominated Arizona Pro DJs, a teen entertainment company, for Social Media Examiner’s Top 10 Best Small Business Facebook Pages of 2011 contest.

This is the first year the online social media magazine held the contest, and it received more than 1,400 entries.

To be considered for the honor, small businesses had to be nominated by two people.

“We held this contest to highlight small businesses who are using Facebook well to promote and grow their business,” said Phil Mershon, director of summits of Social Media Examiner, in an email.

The winners of the contest will receive tickets to the Facebook Success Summit 2011 in October, the largest online Facebook marketing conference.

A panel of judges chose the top 10 winners based on the quality of the Facebook page, the frequency of the company posting information on its wall and fan engagement.

Will Curran, president of Arizona Pro DJs and bachelor of interdisciplinary studies senior, began disc jockeying at his friends’ parties and wanted to incorporate elements he saw at concerts and clubs and bring the package to high school events.

Curran applied for the Edson Student Initiative Entrepreneurship Grant, a campus program that funds student ventures, and won two years in a row.

Arizona Pro DJs offers special lighting, video DJs who mash viral videos and movies over music, photographers, dance crews, percussionists and more for high school, charity, dance parties and even a few ASU events.

“We tell our clients, ‘If you’ve seen it before on TV, if you’ve seen it in the movies or the VMAs, we can do it,” Curran said.

Arizona Pro DJs was ranked fifth in the contest. According to the results online, the judges liked the Facebook page’s graphics, prize incentives for liking the page, spamming policies and the company’s engagement with fans.

The Facebook fan page has become an important customer service tool for the company, Curran said. Employee’s respond to all inquires posted on the page. If a fan posts a comment on the page about the company putting on a bad show, the vice president of events Eileen Wells responds and asks how it can improve for the next show.

Because Arizona Pro DJs has more than 10,000 Facebook fans, Curran deals with a lot of fans posting their own website and profanity on the page, he said. He hides the posts and asks them to stop. Fans receive three warnings before they are banned from the page.

Arizona Pro DJs also posts video testimonials and photos from events.

“We stick a camera in every person’s face we can find after an event and say, ‘What did you think?’” Curran said. “It’s a really great validator of our services.”

Using social media is a great way to find and build customer loyalty. More than half of Americans use social media accounts and more than a third of those people log on daily, Mershon said.

“Smart businesses go where their customers are,” Mershon said. “Social media is one of those places.”
Reach the reporter at mmistero@asu.edu
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