Guidelines for Effectively Using Social Media

Don’t make the same mistake as those well-known businesses whose reputations were destroyed by a single social media effort. It’s safe to say that Pepsi’s anti-Black Lives Matter commercial was not the best choice to go viral online. Unfortunately, a McDonald’s hacker badly insulted the President of the United States on Twitter. A well-known author’s name was misspelt by the Department of Education. The social media accounts of your organisation are your duty, whether you have access to them or not (darn those hackers).

Every company employees, from CEOs on down to those in marketing, need to keep the company’s reputation in mind whenever their company’s name will be in the public eye (or that could be accidentally made public). The online presence of your business is something you can actively shape and manage with the aid of social media. Nonetheless, planning ahead is essential. Several things are on the line.

Write a Social Media Policy

Whether all social media content is generated by the marketing department or workers are given permission to post as the firm, establishing a social media policy may ensure that everyone is on the same page. Listed below are some suggestions for wording your policy:

Choose the posting schedule for each social network. The lowest acceptable post count should also be stated here. Consider updating your Facebook status between once every day and three times each day, as an example.
Forbid the release of any private information. Anything from a customer’s entire name to the company’s bank account numbers falls into this category.
Pre-approve every material before making it public while users grow acclimated to what is and is not acceptable to share. Posts may be added to a site like Buffer so that marketing managers can review them before they are distributed widely.
Inform your team that you reserve the right to modify or remove any content to ensure it adheres to your standards of brand consistency and appropriateness.
You should have a training session in place before allowing other workers to publish on the company’s behalf. They can observe the brand’s social media presence to gauge the tone and style of the brand’s communications. You may also provide instances of inappropriate content so they know what to avoid posting.

Business Executives Ought to Be Recognized

It is important for business leaders to be visible, accountable, and approachable. Customers in the modern day want to feel safe investing in a company, thus the more open they are, the better. If a company’s head is secretive, consumers may begin to worry what they have to hide. A company’s executive can promote themselves on almost any network.

There are possibilities for any kind of business, whether they be more traditional or more cutting-edge, and the outlet and style of posting will rely on the brand’s culture. The CEO can use LinkedIn to inform employees on the company’s status and announce new initiatives through the publication of articles and status updates. CEOs and company owners may give their Facebook followers a glimpse behind the scenes by broadcasting live video or making an Instagram Story. Marketing via email is great for spreading more in-depth ideas to a large audience.

Attend to Comments from Patrons

While if social media has made it easier for businesses to reach out to the consumers in a wide variety of ways and at a faster pace, it has also made it more likely that they may receive feedback that is critical or otherwise negative. In order to succeed, you must value and respond to both good and negative comments from your clientele. React to positive consumer feedback with a sincere “thank you” and perhaps a link to your brand ambassador programme. Customers who worry about their personal data may need reassurance if your business has a data breach or other unpleasant public behaviour. Don’t be cowardly in the face of criticism; your answer is what will make or break your company’s image.

It might be helpful to make it clear to your audience where they can provide feedback if there is a big volume of comments or questions that need to be monitored and addressed. A Facebook business page that allows users to contact the company via Messenger is one good example. But, it’s not the greatest idea to offer comments on a manager’s or employee’s LinkedIn page, as they likely have a much narrower and selective contact list. Business-to-business (B2B) companies, on the other hand, can benefit from having a presence on LinkedIn and encouraging user participation on their corporate profile.

Listen in on the Conversation

The feedback your brand receives on social media may tell you a lot about how your consumers feel about it. It’s not uncommon for customers to refrain from leaving comments in an obvious place. They could refer to your business by a shortened version of its name online, or they might choose to have a private conversation rather than make it public on Twitter. Choose a spot where people are talking and quietly observe what goes on. A few of good areas to begin your search are relevant Facebook groups and Reddit discussions. You should also examine the blog comments on the websites of your major rivals, since some customers may draw comparisons between your business and theirs.

You may rest assured that your brand will be front and centre in today’s ever-present media landscape. Anything you do online may be seen by anybody, including existing and potential clients, investors, and rivals. When it comes to your company’s reputation on social media, most of it is in your hands. Managing your online identity requires proactive measures, and social media provides you with the means to do so.