As social media continues to grow in complexity, no public space is more important than the digital frontier. The social employee – the front-line worker who has been entrusted to be a highly visible brand ambassador - can offer a window into a brand’s soul, driving a brand’s reputation to new heights through rich engagement and authentic representation.

THE SOCIAL EMPLOYEE highlights five major innovative companies – Cisco, IBM, AT&T, Southwest, and Dell – that are frontrunners in the space of social branding and engagement, each with a particular strength in social media that brings in clients, strengthens the connection between employee and company, problem-solves, and creates new business opportunities. These five companies are case studies in creating social culture from the top down, starting at the highest corporate levels and cascading down, to drive employee engagement, brand awareness, and overall profitability.

Mark and Cheryl Burgess, experts in social media branding and marketing, reveal what makes each company unique and how savvy business leaders and marketers can apply it to their own employee culture and media strategy. The brands that focus more on understanding, engaging and remaining relevant to consumers are the ones destined to win the marketing wars.

Embracing change, rewarding loyalty and innovation, inspiring trust and quality, empowering the employee – these are all beneficial byproducts of having Social Employees.