I talk to lots of companies that are afraid to allow their employees to participate in social media. I also talk a lot of companies successfully using social media. What do the successful companies know? It costs nothing and you can do it, too. It has to do with how you treat your employees.

Years ago, when companies were trying to improve their customers service, they discovered something simple that made all the difference. The companies that treated their employees well were rewarded with employees that treated their customers well. Simple, isn't it?

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So much of customer service is about employee attitude. When employees feel good and feel loyal to their employer, they suddenly care about how customers feel about their company too. Oh yeah, and they think of it as "their" company rather than "the" company.

Well, guess what? I think social media works the same way.

The companies where employees are happy in their jobs, where they believe in their company, where they are loyal to their employers--those are the places where social media works. Why? Because employees will instinctively do the right thing. They'll care about the same things their company cares about. They'll portray their company in the best light and treat both customers and detractors with the respect they deserve.

The interesting thing is that the companies I talk to that are afraid of social media really have nothing to worry about. From what I can tell, their employees are loyal and they would do their best for their company.

Now, some companies should be worried--if they treat their employees like dirt, their employees won't extol their company in social media. But the fear I see in most companies is misplaced. It's just fear of the unknown, Keep treating your employees right and you'll be rewarded in social media.