To establish a successful corporate social network, you will have to get your employees engaged and involved in it. Here are the top five tips to get that done:

Identify your goals
The primary task is to identify what you want your corporate social network to do. Do you want your staff to have a free flow of communication on it? Do you want it to positively impact your day-to-day operations? Do you want it to connect your staff? Identify your goals. Only then will you be able to measure the outcomes and correct deviations accordingly.

Understand the current information source
There are always a few ‘connectors’ in every organization. These ‘connectors’ are employees that other employees always go to, for getting information and asking questions. Figure out who these connectors are in your organization and involve them to be the first users of your corporate social network. Since they are influencers, they will be able to spread the word about the system.

Communicate the policies clearly
Establish the ground rules of social networking upfront as that will encourage more honest and open participation. Let the staff know what you expect and communicate it clearly. If you want to encourage an informal platform, do not police the system too much and vice-versa.

Incorporate the tool into the workflow
People use most what is part of their day-to-day operations. So rather than making the corporate social network an additional activity for them, incorporate it into the daily operations. Find out a way to have the network included into their everyday workflow.

Record the value addition
Record success stories of how the social network added value to your organization. Since the difference created cannot be measured in numbers, it is important to have the qualitative impact recorded, to be able to measure the change in the workplace.