The Effects of Social Media in the Workplace

The main goal of this paper is to discuss the positive effects and value that social media presents to a company if it is used properly. Today, technology is constantly growing. Almost everyone owns a smartphone, computer, or tablet/iPad device, and a greater majority of those people use some form of social media to connect with the world. Most businesses have recognized this, and they understand the importance of the growing demand for technology and social media. They also understand how easy it is to show their present themselves through various forms of communication. Throughout the remainder of this paper, two well-known construction companies will be presented, and the uses of social media will be presented for each. One of these companies takes full advantage of several forms of social media, and while the other uses it to a certain extent, their use could be expanded to help them grow.

Company Backgrounds

EMJ Corporation

Since their founding in 1968, EMJ Corporation has been a well-known general contractor that strives to deliver quality construction projects to their clients while maintaining exceptional customer service at the same time (EMJ - EMJ, n.d.). Over the years, this goal has not only helped them succeed at building relationships with a variety of clients, but it has also allowed them the opportunity to complete a wide variety of projects in 47 states and expand their presence through multiple offices in the United States (EMJ - EMJ, n.d.). Though they started small and worked their way to the top, EMJ uses a variety of resources to make their presence known while allowing their clients and employees to remain in contact with the new developments they are making as a company.

Blalock Building Company

Blalock Building Company is a smaller, lesser known general contractor that was formed in 2006. Though they may be younger and smaller than many other general contractors, their goals of Skill, Honesty, and Integrity have earned them the right to complete multiple projects local to their home base of Trussville, Alabama, and it has also allowed them to build relationships with a variety of clients in the retail and entertainment industry (Blalock Building Company, n.d.). In being a smaller general contractor, their presence is not as widely recognized as other general contractors, but this does not make them any less successful as a company.

Discussion

EMJ's Use of Social Media

As it was mentioned above in their company background, EMJ performs numerous projects across the United States every year, and one of the main reasons that they continue to do so is because of the customer service they provide their clients, but they also put forth a great amount of effort into making their presence known, through multiple forms of social media. Earlier this year, EMJ posted an article to their website that goes more into depth about the importance of social media to their business. Not only is this beneficial to the clients EMJ is already servicing, but by using multiple platforms such as websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, EMJ can advertise their abilities as a company, and this allows new clients to see the work they perform (How EMJ uses the power of social media, 2018). By doing this, EMJ has presented themselves in a way that appeals to the constant evolving industry of construction, and they fully expect to reap the rewards of this additional effort they have put forth.

Blalock's Use of Social Media

Being a small and young general contractor can be difficult in a constant evolving construction industry. As discussed in their company background, Blalock has been successful in building partnerships which have ultimately led to their success, but one area where they lack presence is in the social media world. Though they take advantage of presenting their success and current project through their company website, the only other forms of social media that can be found on their behalf is a company LinkedIn page, and an unofficial Facebook page. While their LinkedIn page does cover some similar content as their company website, their Facebook page is not up to date, and it fails to mention any current projects or information about what is happening within their company. It would seem the relationships they have established with some companies is enough to keep them busy in the industry, but the lack of social media presence could be preventing them from being discovered by other possible clients they could benefit from.

Conclusion

Upon reviewing each of these general contracting companies, there is a substantial gap in the amount of social media each company does or does not take advantage of using. The idea of this paper is not to define a company's success based solely off their presence on social media, but it does provide an outlet to benefit a company's success. Social media can play a role in keeping clients or company personnel informed on the day to day processes of business, and it can open the door to meeting new clients and expanding one's business. Today, technology is becoming more and more prevalent in the workplace, and while it may be hard to believe, something as simple as a Facebook post or Tweet can make all the difference in a company's success and success.

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