If your organization’s leaders are still skeptical that internal social media is a good idea, here’s the best rationale to make your case: social media’s strong potential to break down silos and bring employees together.

Your leaders already know that, as your organization has grown, employees are no longer in one location—they’re spread out across the country or around the globe. And leaders probably realize that, if your organization is typical, a third of employees may work remotely.

So the challenge is making employees feel connected—to their managers and colleagues. Luckily there’s a perfect internal communication tool to help: social media.

Here are 7 reasons why you should add social media to your communication strategy (and 7 ways to do so):

Social media...			How to...
	Connects employees so they feel like part of the team		Post employee recognition announcements on your company Yammer page
	Increases visibility and accessibility of senior leaders		Host a live Q&A Twitter jam where leaders tweet answers to employees’ questions in real time
	Stimulates collaboration across functions within your company		Use the mobile site Chatter to connect employees globally
	Encourages knowledge sharing		Start a discussion board or Google Doc for employees to share ideas and solve problems
	Gives managers easy ways to stay connected with their team members		Schedule team check-ins on social sites to frequently update your reports
	Makes onboarding user-friendly		Create YouTube-like instructional videos to help new hires learn
	Creates ample opportunities for feedback		Start a peer-to-peer acknowledgement program on any enterprise social network