SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIAL ....................Tips to help your business avoid a social media disaster

Tips to help your business avoid a social media disaster





To help you navigate a social thunderstorm, we spoke to experts who provided tips to help develop a social media policy. These tips can protect the company from a social media fiasco or even a compliance violation or lawsuit

Be careful with company passwords

Do not give out social media account passwords. This is why a social media manager like Sprout Social or HootSuite is important. In Facebook, you can make an employee an Editor on an account but not the main account manager.

Avoid sensitive topics

Charles Henson, a managing partner at the IT company Nashville Computer, says that every company needs a written policy, something that is posted internally and also explained in person and signed by each employee at the company, that covers the topics to avoid.

Clarify how many posts are expected

Your social media policies should clarify how many posts are expected from each employee, whether that's just one per day or dozens, depending on the industry. It should also mention a cap.

Make a plan for maintaining policies

Any social media policy has to evolve with the company. There may be cha nges i n market segments, new social media services that emerge, or new challenges in the social media space.

Know who is in charge

It is critical to have an approval process and management system for social media. This includes knowing who is in charge of each account. Someone should be moderating posts if you allow comments to ensure your social media is not being abused andor used to promote other products or websites.

Train employees regularly

Employees need to be trained in how to use social media and which policies are in place and it needs to be clear and understandable. When you set a schedule for reviewing policies and updating them, that's also a good time to schedule any related training that goes along with the posted guidelines.

Stick to the brand

Tony Mena from Homeland Security Protective Service says it's too easy for employees to switch to a more personal voice when the goal of corporate social media is brand engagement. It is far better to have guidelines about what can be said on behalf of the company.

Develop a routine

Many companies use an ad hoc approach to social media, even if they have policies in place. Matthew Mercuri, digital marketing manager at the steam cleaner company Dupray, says your social media team needs to stick to a routine. This might involve checking the accounts of 20 or more social media sites to see if there are any comments.

Know what to do when someone is fired

Henson says that when his firm trains companies in social media policies, they always cover what to do when an employee is terminated. This should always involve deleting any social media accounts as soon as possible along with the nor mal network access, emails and logins.

in. techradar.com

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