Why Every Business Needs a Social Media Policy | Social Media Virtual Assistant - Be Social Worldwide

Why Every Business Needs a Social Media Policy

Filed Under Social Marketing

No matter how big or small your business; there is no doubt that your employees are using social media. And not just your employees, but customers, potential investors and future clients as well. It’s very unlikely that you can have total control over the things those people write about you and your company while online, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid having a social media policy in place. You need to take measures so that you can monitor and reduce any negative impact to your company’s reputation.

The best way to keep favorable relations with everyone involved with your business is to implement a policy that lets everyone know what your expectations are. Failing to do so could lead to many embarrassing situations in the future.

There are three things of which you need to be aware when you get ready to set up your own social media policy for your business:

Find Out What’s Being Said

The first step in keeping up with what is being said online is to get involved yourself. Sign up on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Then, you’ll be able to listen in and keep your eyes peeled.

There are also a few online monitoring services that are free to use:

  • Google Alerts This will let you know if something is posted about you or your company, your website, or any of your employees.
  • TweetBeep This tells you when someone else tweets about you, by name or username, your company or website. You can also read your employees’ tweets by following them on Twitter.
  • BackTweets This notifies you when somebody posts a tweet about your blog or website using your domain name

What Can You Do?

When you see that someone has done or said something that could do harm to you or your company’s reputation, you should respond to it. While you cannot dictate what employees post on their personal profiles, you may take them aside and explain your concerns. Anything that’s posted online can possibly be seen by your clients, investors and potential customers. Always check with your lawyer about what actions you can legally take, if any, when it comes to your employees.

With dissatisfied customers, contractors, suppliers, it’s important to speak with them in person as well as online when you offer your apologies and make amends.

Prevent It

Realistically, you can’t expect to stop every negative thing people say or do. Sure, you might be able to fire employees and drop contractors and suppliers. But if you fail to enact a social media policy, you could find yourself in some legal hot water.  Speak with someone who specializes in Human Resources policies or even an attorney when you begin drafting your own company’s policy.

With the constant changes that are brought about by the Internet, it has impacted the way business is done today. All businesses, no matter how big or small, will feel the power of social media and communication online. That’s why it’s so important to take charge and do what you can to avoid any negativity that could come from it. By setting up a social media policy, you can make sure that everyone knows what is expected and how to behave accordingly.

Does your business have a social media policy in place? What are some of the reasons that you felt it was necessary to start one? Tell us what you’ve done to protect your company in a time when social media rules the web!

Comments

  • Learn how to be Social without Socializing

    Learn how Be Social Worldwide can help you be social without spending all day online. Download our information packet and subscribe to Be Social News

    We will also give you the information you need to know about the social networks in this Social Networking Report.

    :
    :

    We will never share or sell your contact information and will only use it to communicate with you about socializing online

  • Dawn Pigoni, IVAA Member