Are you just dying to share the latest Jimmy Kimmel video with your co-workers?  While it might be okay to post it on Facebook, is it okay to post it on Chatter? One of the most common questions we get as Salesforce consultants is “How can we effectively leverage Chatter in our company?”  Here are our 10 do’s and dont’s for making the most of Salesforce Chatter:

Salesforce Chatter Tip 1: DON’T post that YouTube link of Jimmy Kimmel.
While Chatter may allow for a certain level of collaboration and camaraderie, Chatter is meant to provide information that would appeal to your entire company and ultimately increase productivity.  And while Jimmy Kimmel might provide great comic relief, it won’t enhance the company’s productivity – which is the idea behind Chatter. Not to mention, it might make you look like a slacker.

Salesforce Chatter Tip 2: DON’T write lengthy posts
Quick, to-the-point and relevant.  That should be your guideline when posting on Chatter.  People don’t have time to read long-winded posts.

Salesforce Chatter Tip 3: DON’T get too personal
You enjoy showing colleagues pictures of your frequent trips to Lake Tahoe. Now while you think it might be an easier way to show off your black diamond skills, don’t post it to Chatter. If it’s not relevant to your business or industry, don’t post it.

Salesforce Chatter Tip 4: DON’T like everything everyone in your company says and does.
Think of it as a beauty pageant.  They may all look fantastic and have AMAZING thoughts on world peace but only one of these fine ladies/gentlemen is walking away with the crown.  Treat your ‘likes’ as such, by rationing them out they have meaning to you and the person you dish out that crown to.

Salesforce Chatter Tip 5: DO post useful assets
Did you just create an OMG-worthy presentation for a prospective client and think your colleagues could benefit from it?  Post it to Chatter.  Is there a new whitepaper or webcast your company is using to lure in clients? Absolutely share it.  Is there a thought leadership piece that you read about your industry?  Go for it – post it to Chatter. The more you can educate your employees about your business and industry, the better off your company.

Salesforce Chatter Tip 6: DO follow accounts and data
Did you just get a new lead and you’re super excited about it?  Instead of asking your colleagues or obsessively logging into salesforce.com, just follow it on Chatter and anytime there is activity or changes made to the account, you will automatically be notified.

Salesforce Chatter Tip 7: DON’T follow your coworkers around the office
That’s just weird.  But you can follow them on Chatter.  Follow people in all departments.  Marketing probably has a great new tool for you to use.  Sales might be in contact with someone you are also in contact with. You never know when there is an opportunity for cross-collaboration even if it’s outside of your department so be sure to follow people across all departments.

Salesforce Chatter Tip 8: DO ask or offer help
Often times, people will email specific colleagues looking for a solution to a particular problem.  With Chatter all you have to do is post a question and your colleagues can respond. The benefits are that everyone can see it and they will become educated around the solution. Now that’s it’s on Chatter, people don’t have to go hunting for the same answer twice. Result: increased productivity.

Salesforce Chatter Tip 9: DO take advantage of Chatter Groups
Is your organization broken down into territories? Maybe you have project based teams? Chatter groups allow you to geek out on the most in-depth topics and not flood the rest of the organization with jargon they dont understand or care about. For example, not everyone will want to know about the latest opportunity to sell brass door knobs in Nepal….or do they (they don’t) . At Bluewolf, we have groups for our various US and EMEA regions, graduates of our prestigious BA University and our Agile Consulting Book Club!

Salesforce Chatter Tip 10: DO use hash tags properly
Just like Twitter, Hash tags in Chatter are an amazing productivity saver. If something warrants being tagged for others to easily find do so. Announcing a new business deal with the hashtag #newbusiness allows for a quick search of all new business deals. However, announcing to the world “going to lunch #nomnomnom #whypeanutbutterandjellyagain” is not of benefit to anyone! Don’t forget, hash tags can also be followed.

Have more questions about Chatter? Post to our comments and we can help you out!

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