The new research report on strategies to improve communication and collaboration in your company

Social media has changed communication forever. Tools including wikis, blogs, social networks and podcasts have become mainstream, forcing corporations to adapt and evolve. But how are companies actually using social media to solve critical business issues and enhance communication? What lessons have they learned? And how can you benefit from using social media tools inside your organization's firewall?

How to use social media to solve critical internal communication issues is the groundbreaking research report from Melcrum, which helps you understand just how sophisticated social media within business has become, and how to apply the relevant tools in your own organization. Containing in-depth case studies from some of the world's most innovative companies, expert insight, tips and tools, you’ll have all you need to develop your own social media strategy.

Together with benchmarking data and analysis from our global survey of over 2,600 corporate communicators, you'll get exclusive access to statistics, experiences and opinions from your peers around the globe.

How to use social media to solve critical internal communication issues provides you with the tools to:

1. Build the business case for social media

"Business leaders quickly switch off if you start talking about things like microblogging, hash tags and followers. Mention collaboration, knowledge sharing and productivity and they start listening again."

Neil Jenkins, European Communications Manager, Coca Cola Enterprises

Learn how the internal communications team at Coca-Cola Enterprises sought buy-in for social media by focusing on the business benefits rather than dwelling on the tools themselves. Plus, read Lee Hopkins' 30-second social media investment pitch to the board and discover how NetApp achieved improvements in collaboration and productivity from an online employee community.

2. Develop a strategy for incorporating social media into your internal communication

"Before you jump into social media, ask yourself whether your organization is ready. It's the job of the communicator to recognize and understand where and how social media tools might work in your business."

Victoria Mellor, CEO, Melcrum

Get Melcrum CEO, Victoria Mellor's 10-step checklist to ensure your social media development goes to plan, from assessing your readiness to thinking about measurement. Plus, learn how Aviva introduced online forums to encourage employee dialogue, get Sue Dewhurst's tips on how and when to use social media, and a self-survey tool to determine whether you're ready to use social media.

3. Successfully set and maintain ownership and usage guidelines

"With information spreading faster than has ever been possible before, an individual's reputation and presence online can have a massive effect on a business, from stock prices based on unreleased product news, to unauthorized public discussion about company policy."

American Airlines case study

Learn how American Airlines suffered a PR disaster as a direct result of not having robust guidelines in place for employee social media usage. Plus, read The Coca-Cola Company's online social media principles and get a list of some of the best social media policies and guidelines from leading organizations in both the public and private sector.

4. Measure the success of your social media initiatives

"Measuring the effectiveness of new electronic media, such as blogs and RSS feeds, offers many of the same opportunities and pitfalls as measuring more traditional information channels. Unfortunately, the majority of the measures typically conducted focus on activity and not on outcomes."

Angela Sinickas, President, Sinickas Communications, Inc

Read advice from internal comms measurement guru Angela Sinickas on why it's important to focus on the outcomes of social media usage, rather than the activity itself. Plus, discover the myriad benefits Sabre Travel Studios have achieved from introducing it's award-winning Sabre Town social network-style intranet, including collaboration, knowledge management and driving innovation.

5. Increase employee engagement through Twitter

"Twitter has enabled connections that wouldn't have happened before, and opened doors for people needing answers and support on a variety of topics. Many of our 'Twits' have never actually met, but when they do, there's already an established relationship through having followed each other on Twitter - making that first meeting very similar to a reunion between two friends. That means employees who use Twitter can really maximize collaboration without the need to get to know and understand each other first."

Abi Signorelli, former Director of Internal Communications, Virgin Media

Learn how Virgin Media use the power of Twitter to connect employees at over 100 offices across the UK, opening doors for people needing answers and support on a variety of topics.

6. Understand the pros and cons of Microsoft SharePoint

"Our intranet and IT teams and our authors have been on a very steep learning curve since the introduction of the new SharePoint platform. During this time, we've managed to learn a great deal about the product and its limitations and have made a series of improvements since we launched our first site in April 2009."

Hugh Coughlan, Intranet Development Manager at Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Learn how the Commonwealth Bank of Australia made the decision to introduce Microsoft SharePoint and how they migrated more than 40 intranets to the new system. Plus, read their feedback after the first six months of using SharePoint.