Interested in checking out the which of the remaining 50 “Best Companies to Work For” have established a presence on Twitter. Check them out. Plus for more information on how you can begin to establish your social media presence check out Kate’s blog entry – Starting with a Social Media Plan.

Best of the Rest (51-100)

51. Ernst & Young on Twitter
52. Booz Allen Hamilton is currently not on Twitter
53. Stew Leonard’s on Twitter
54. Erickson Retirement Communities is currently not on Twitter
55.  Salesforce.com on Twitter
56.  KPMG on Twitter
57. Novo Nordisk is currently not on Twitter
58. PricewaterhouseCoopers on Twitter
59. Scripps Health on Twitter
60. Scottrade on Twitter
61. Deloitte on Twitter
62. Griffin Hospital is currently not on Twitter
63. Mayo Clinic on Twitter
64. Milliken is currently not on Twitter
65. Texas Instruments on Twitter
66. MITRE on Twitter
67. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is currently not on Twitter
68. Southern Ohio Medical Center is currently not on Twitter
69. National Instruments on Twitter
70. Stanley is currently not on Twitter
71. Men’s Wearhouse is currently not on Twitter
72. Nordstrom on Twitter
73. Chesapeake Energy is currently not on Twitter
74. Alcon Laboratories is currently not on Twitter
75. Atlantic Health is currently not on Twitter
76. Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network is currently not on Twitter
77. Northwest Community Hospital is currently not on Twitter
78. Marriott International on Twitter
79. Baptist Health South Florida on Twitter
80. Bright Horizons is currently not on Twitter
81. S.C. Johnson & Son is currently not on Twitter
82. Perkins Coie on Twitter
83. eBay on Twitter
84. Juniper Networks on Twitter
85. Arkansas Children’s Hospital is currently not on Twitter
86. CH2M HILL on Twitter
87. Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe is currently not on Twitter
88. Publix Super Markets is currently not on Twitter
89. Herman Miller on Twitter
90. FedEx on Twitter
91. Gilbane on Twitter
92. Four Seasons Hotels on Twitter
93. Valero Energy is currently not on Twitter
94. Build-A-Bear Workshop on Twitter
95. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is currently not on Twitter
96. T-Mobile on Twitter
97. Accenture on Twitter
98. Vanderbilt University (School of Law) on Twitter
99. General Mills (Brands on Twitter)

• Cheerios on Twitter
• Wheaties on Twitter
• Nature Valley on Twitter

100.  SRA International on Twitter

Be sure to follow SuppliesGuys on Twitter for product give-a-ways, contests, discounts and for all of our business tips.

Generation Y at work

What defines a company as one of America’s best to work for? Is it the perks? What about the salary potential? Maybe it is the fact that a company is in a high growth industry or has low layoff rates. These were all viable answers for the Baby Boomers and Generation X, but what about the new breed of employees in  Generation Y?

A 2009 Deloitte survey showed that Generation Y employees had far different motivations for evaluating their potential employers.  While nearly 50% of those surveyed confirmed that salary and benefits package was a major influence, 63.5% stated that opportunities for growth and development was the differentiating factor. 47% also indicated that company culture and reputation was a primary factor.

Could there be a connection?

Generation Y spends more time online (and these days on social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) than ever before, and that trend is growing – fast.  As of 2008, it is approximated that 62.8 million adults (18+) in the United States use online social networks at least once a month. eMarketer.com predicts that this number will grow to 93.9 million by 2013, a 50% increase.

Generation Y is seeking engagement, and that engagement happens to come into fruition on Facebook, YouTube, Linkedin and on the latest platform, Twitter. Generation Y wants to know what a company’s culture is like in order to determine if they would make a good fit at a particular company or not. Smart companies understand that they need to engage with their younger generation and that this blend of work and home life is not just a trend but a part of the package which Generation Y brings to the table. This means that they need to lift their “Iron Veil” and expose their company culture to potential employees in order to show why their particular company would be a better place to work than another. So it only makes sense that the “best companies to work for,” are also the companies who are attempting to attract the best and brightest talent by establishing a strong presence on social networking sites.

So just how many of America’s best companies to work for (as according to Fortune Magazine) have a presence on Twitter? Take a look for yourself. 70% of the Top 10 list have established a strong presence on Twitter, and 58% of the  entire Top 100 have Twitter accounts.

Top 50 Companies to Work for on Twitter

1. NetApp on Twitter
2. Edward Jones is currently not on Twitter
3. Boston Consulting Group on Twitter
4. Google on Twitter
5. Wegmans Food Markets on Twiitter
6. Cisco Systems on Twitter
7. Genentech on Twitter
8. Methodist Hospital System on Twitter
9. Goldman Sachs is currently not on Twitter
10. Nugget Market is currently not on Twitter
11. Adobe Systems on Twitter
12. Recreational Equipment (REI) on Twitter
13. Devon Energy is currently not on Twitter
14. Robert W. Baird is currently not on Twitter
15. W. L. Gore & Associates is currently not on Twitter
16. Qualcomm is currently not on Twitter
17. Principal Financial Group is currently not on Twitter
18. Shared Technologies is currently not on Twitter
19. OhioHealth on Twitter
20. SAS is currently not on Twitter
21. Arnold & Porter on Twitter
22. Whole Foods Market on Twitter
23. Zappos.com on Twitter
24. Starbucks on Twitter
25. Johnson Financial Group is currently not on Twitter
26. Aflac on Twitter
27. QuikTrip on Twitter
28. PCL Construction Enterprises is currently not on Twitter
29. Quicken Loans on Twitter
30. Bingham McCutchen is currently not on Twitter
31. CarMax on Twitter
32. Container Store is currently not on Twitter
33. JM Family Enterprises on Twitter
34. Umpqua Bank on Twitter
35. Kimley-Horn & Associates on Twitter
36. Alston & Bird is currently not on Twitter
37. TDIndustries is currently not on Twitter
38. Microsoft on Twitter
39. Paychex on Twitter
40. EOG Resources is currently not on Twitter
41. Camden Property Trust is currently not on Twitter
42. Plante & Moran is currently not on Twitter
43. Rackspace Hosting on Twitter
44. NuStar Energy on Twitter
45. King’s Daughters Medical Center on Twitter
46. American Fidelity Assurance is currently not on Twitter
47. DreamWorks Animation on Twitter
48. Mattel on Twitter
    • Barbie on Twitter
49. Intuit on Twitter
50. Burns & McDonnell is currently not on Twitter

Be sure to follow SuppliesGuys on Twitter for product give-a-ways, contests, discounts and for all of our business advice!

If you’re looking to get your small business involved with social media, it’s a good idea to start the same way you would anything else – with a plan. You might not need an extensively detailed map for your social media map, as detours will be likely. So, we set up a list of guidelines to get you started.

1) Research

• Look at other companies and see how they’re utilizing social media. Choose a few that you do business with often and check their websites for any Facebook, Twitter or blog links. Search Flickr or YouTube to see if they’re utilizing various channels.
• Do the same research on companies in your genre or niche. Both of these searches will result in specific ideas for your industry as well as general ideas on how you might want to use social media.
• Determine the best outlets for you and your industry. Where is your target market? Why create a MySpace profile if your demographic is Baby Boomers? Your end benefit will be greater if you establish this from the beginning, rather than diving in head first to an empty audience.
• Find out who’s talking about you. Use Twitter search and Google Blog Search to see if there are any mentions of your company. Set up Google Alerts to be notified of when a mention hits the Internet. Sift through monitoring sites on what is being said about your and your industry. My two favorites are Social Mention and Keotag, both of which give you a diverse platform of networks.

2) Decide

• Now that you have a better idea of how other companies are using social media, you hopefully have a set definition of what you want to achieve from it. Make a decision – is making sales more important for you, or establishing relationships?
• How you’re going to utilize your time. Are you going to put most of your social media efforts into tweeting or into writing blog posts, or both? This will help you choose:
• Who will be a part of your social media plan. If other employees are on board, determine what aspects they would be most comfortable with and how much time they are willing (or able) to put in.
• How are you going to measure your social media efforts? As mentioned before, you have to decide whether landing sales is a higher priority than creating relationships with customers. Measuring statistically requires time on analytics and sales, while connection measurements are more abstract.

3) Create

• Now that all the research has been done and some decisions have been made, its time for creation. It’s best to start out by creating a schedule of what will be done, who will do it and how, and by when. Having deadlines pushes you and your employees to be proactive rather than neglecting the social media.
• Profiles. If you want to create a presence on social networking sites, you need relevant, informative profiles that keep a reader interested.
• Content. If your plan is to start a blog, map out content and start writing. You can never have too many back-up posts! Brainstorm ideas for future topics and/or promotions that will draw readers (potential customers) to you. Add content such as videos, links, photos, or posts to your social networking profiles.
• Measurement plan. Set benchmarks for measuring conversations, as your own goals for where you want these relationships to take you. Explore Google Analytics if you are looking for more numerical results, such as traffic and CTRs.

4) Engage

• Begin engagement by posting your content to your various profiles. Converse with others on their blogs, Twitter and Flickr accounts.
• Look for customers and potential customers in your industry. Engage users to become a part of your community, whether it is a fan of your Facebook page or a subscriber to your blog.
• Respond to users that come to your profiles. Let them know that you’re listening!

5) Continue

• Researching other companies – especially in your industry.
• Making decisions on how you’re using your time and measuring your efforts.
• Creating content, content plans and ideas.
• Engaging with your community!

These are just some general ideas to get your foot in the door. Social media holds a lot of potential for small businesses looking to create awareness and establish relationships. There are also plenty of opportunities in social media.

What aspects do you want to integrate into your social media plan?