7 Tips To Turn Social Media-Savvy Employees Into Peer Support Online Coaches

7 Tips To Turn Social Media-Savvy Employees Into Peer Support Online Coaches
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Summary: Social media isn’t just for sharing viral videos or funny memes. In fact, you can use it in your online training strategy to transform tech-smart employees into peer support online coaches. Here’s how.

How To Make Peer Support Online Coaches Out Of Your Social Media-Savvy Employees

Most people are already familiar with social media to some extent. Maybe they watch the occasional YouTube video or update friends on their Facebook page. But there are others who just have a knack for social networking. They understand its many nuances and use social media as a tool for ongoing development. But they aren’t the only ones who can benefit from their tech expertise and social networking skills. Below are 7 tips to turn social media-savvy employees into peer support online coaches who can impart wisdom to your entire team.

7 Tips To Launch Peer Coaching Using Internal Talent

1. Give Them Their Own Topic-Centered Group

Launch topic-centered social media groups on Facebook and let in-house experts take the reins. It should be something they’re particularly good at. Such as a skill or common training challenge that they know how to handle with tact. They’re able to upload helpful online training resources and address comments left by other members of the group. For example, your customer service expert fields questions about the company’s policy regarding returns. Or, peer support online coaches help fellow employees appease regular customers who have a propensity to complain.

2. Invite Them To Guest Host Live Online Training Events

Encourage your social media-savvy employees to host live events on their preferred platform. Facebook and YouTube are often the go-to tools for video-based events. Employees get to choose the topic and determine the main discussion points. As well as provide attendees with supplemental online training resources they can use to improve understanding. You can also record the online training event and post it in the relevant group or even add it to your microlearning online training library for later viewing.

3. Schedule Social Media Q&As

Give your employees the opportunity to host Q&A sessions on social media, where they can show off their expertise. Not only are they helping their peers address common issues and clarify confusion. But they’re also able to be recognized for their in-depth knowledge on the topic. You can either host live Q&A forums where they interact in real-time. Or go with an ongoing format wherein employees answer questions whenever they have free time. The list continually expands and eventually becomes a comprehensive guide to the training topic or task.

4. Turn Employees Into Training Vloggers

More outgoing employees may jump at the chance to host their own training vlogs, being named peer support online coaches. This involves a more casual format that live events. Social-media savvy staff members launch their own YouTube channel or post on the community channel. Vlogs can cover everything from what they do in a typical work day to troubleshooting tips. Things shouldn’t get too casual, however. For example, they need to avoid providing too much personal information or using language that might offend co-workers. There’s also the small matter of not divulging company info or other sensitive information, such as trade secrets. Keep in mind that they can also set the video as “unlisted” so that it’s only available to those with the link.

5. Encourage Employees To Start Their Own Tip-Packed Instagram Page

Instagram is often overlooked when it’s time to choose online training platforms. After all, it’s primarily focused on images. So, it’s not the best for building skills or teaching involved tasks. However, you can encourage employees to start their own Instagram pages that feature quick tips and tricks. For example, they post an eLearning infographic that’s accompanied by a brief text explanation of how to overcome customer reluctance during a sale. Or a quick video of them showcasing a new product on the floor and how to pitch it to prospects. Another great way to use Instagram in online training is to spark online discussions. For instance, an employee posts a photo of broken equipment and asks their peers to diagnose the issue and outline the repair process.

6. Launch Employee-Led Blogs

Instead of vloggers, some employees may be more comfortable stepping into the role of bloggers. They can launch their own blog site for free and post on a weekly or monthly basis, as peer support online coaches. Even more regularly if they feel so inclined. The blog should focus on skills or tasks they have honed. This prevents misinformation and ensures that everyone benefits from the blogs. You should also create a master list that includes links to individual sites for quick reference. Break it into categories so that employees can find the topic or challenge on the spot. Lastly, encourage employee/bloggers to include meta tags in their posts so that’s it’s easier to locate them in the archives.

7. Assign Hashtags To Facilitate Feedback And Knowledge Sharing

Employees who are social media experts can create their own hashtag and give it to members of their peer-coaching group. Everyone can use the tag to ask questions, provide feedback, and share ideas. All the tweets are in one location, which makes it easy to communicate and collaborate from afar. They should include the hashtag on other social media posts and promote it during live online training events. That way the group knows where to find supplemental information and can offer their own input. This is also a great way to host weekly Q&A events. #JustAsk… gives employees the opportunity to quickly add their question to the list. And the social-media savvy expert can respond whenever it’s most convenient.

Conclusion

Social media doesn’t have to be a distraction that pulls your employees out of the online training experience. Encourage savvy staff members to use their expertise to point their co-workers in the right direction and provide ongoing eLearning feedback. Bear in mind, you may need to set some ground rules to keep the conversation on track. As well as provide them with support resources of their own so they can be the best peer support online coaches they can be.

Experience is one of the most valuable assets your company has, and senior employees have it in spades. But how they can share the wealth in order to boost the productivity of your organization? Read the article 8 Ways To Use An Audio Conferencing System You Could Never Imagine to learn how to leverage audio conferencing in your peer coaching program.