Ethos Public Relations Manchester

Sector should get Social Media Savvy

by Ethos public relations

Chloe Weatherhead, Head of Housing e-Academy, a leading e-learning provider said the sector should encourage more use of social media – especially as the top ten tools for learning* in 2011 include Twitter, YouTube and Facebook – resources that some organisations restrict, if not ban their employees from using at work.

“Social media has become more than a communication tool and is now also firmly entrenched in the world of learning and continuous professional development along with many other professional skills,” said Chloe. “It’s high time housing providers stopped being suspicious of social media and got social media savvy.”

Social Media can be used particularly well to engage tenants and some forward thinking providers have taken advantage of Facebook, Twitter, community reporting, and real-time question and answer sessions.

And it’s not just the internet that allows housing organisations to engage with residents –providers can also harness the power of mobile phone and digital TV technology.

“Many people in the sector often worry they do not have the time to implement a social media campaign,” said Chloe. “However, once you have mastered the basics it should not take more than a few hours a week to do properly.”

For an easy to understand overview of how social media works and how to apply it to your own business Housing e-Academy has developed ‘An Introduction to Social Media for Businesses Module’ which is available for just £15 plus vat.

“Housing organisations will find this module useful for tenants as well as staff – and if using social media has been a secret fear – this module should smash it.”

For more information about e-learning call 01943 885085 or e-mail info@housingea.co.uk or go to www.housingea.co.uk.

To read other news from Housing e-Academy click here.

Posted at 16^th March 2011