Does your business have a Social Media Policy in place? Is it written from the perspective of protecting the company or is the focus strictly on preventing abuse of privileges by employees?
If you are in business today, you face the need for policies governing how Social Media can, should, and will impact your business. Most companies have already addressed the use of Social Media by employees who are “on the clock.” But what about how the employees’ use of Social Media while “off the clock” will impact the reputation of the business and potentially the bottom line? Have you outlined the expectations of communications between people who identify themselves as being associated with your business and others? Have you made sure that no employee comes across as being representative of the official position of the company on any topic without the full authorization and support of management?
If not, perhaps it’s time to review those policies and revamp them to make sure that they include a full spectrum of guidelines on what is allowed by employees of the business. A good starting point is a reminder that anything shared on a social media platform has the ability to go viral and while it may not spread to that extent, it certainly can be shared and misinterpreted so caution needs to be taken at all times and especially when someone is posting freely as an individual and not as a company representative. Sometimes all it takes is a nudge to make people stop and think before they post.
It might also be beneficial to identify who in the organization can and cannot comment on any Social Media platform on behalf of the company and to make sure that anyone not on the authorized list is required to specify that they do not speak on behalf of the company in any comment they make. Clearly defining the expectations is a certain way to make sure everybody understands why a comment would be considered appropriate or inappropriate by management.
The use of Social Media is imperative for any business which is currently in operation, and it should be impactful in positive ways so that growth and profitability are always the results.