Recently, USA Today reported that 54 percent of companies block their employees’ access to Facebook, and another 35 percent have established some form of limits. This may not come as much of a surprise, and the reason behind this is common sense: Businesses don’t want their employees frivolously spending time updating their statuses or playing FarmVille. Okay, that seems reasonable, but what if I told you that blocking social media sites from your employees is the wrong way to handle this media? In reality, companies should do the opposite and allow them to be active within this social space.

NASA using social media is a great example. This organization has created a social-media hub with links to each site it participates in, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. For each site, NASA has divided content into channels, by mission. This gives NASA the flexibility to cross post content like Flickr images and YouTube videos to its Facebook page. Obviously, there’s overlap, but, then again, that’s the nature of social media.  Probably the most surprising part is the freedom the employees have with NASA’s social media program. Instead of trying to control the message with a top-down approach, over 100 employees are participating via Twitter. And instead of having an official policy in place, NASA asks that everyone abide by the “release of government information guidelines” when using social media.

The aforementioned example can be applied to the business world to help create brand awareness. For example, content on different social media sites can be divided by products or services. To get the word out about your business, add content on social media sites that your target customers use. Social media can also be used by your sales force. If I’m a salesperson about to make a phone call, using social media to find out what is being said about my client would be incredibly useful. Why would I ban tools that are helping me make sales?

Ultimately, you want to make social media work for you. Your business should participate in social media sites that are relevant and can help you reach your target customers. This means participating in the big social sites like Facebook and Twitter or vertical sites such as Kaboodle and TripAdvisor. Letting your employees take an active part in social media can help project a more personable image and keep content fresh.

Monitoring the “buzz” that is occurring within your business and industry will also help your employees respond and can even be leveraged for online customer service. This monitoring can also be used by your sales force to learn more about your clients. And if you’re worried about employees crossing the line, adding social media guidelines to your company’s employee handbook will give those, who do participate, direction on how to best project the company’s image. Within these guidelines, you can include policies about respecting trademark and copyright laws. By empowering employees to be active, social media can be leveraged more effectively.

This is a new, complicated and ever-changing media, but, with the right help, you can use social media to build brand awareness and increase sales for your business.