Question

Here, you will examine social media policy, vision, and procedure. If one cares about their personal brand, they need to be careful and pay attention to what their online presence says about them. Otherwise, they run the risk of letting other people create their image for them – both good and bad. This applies to organizations as well.

Preparation and Research: Do a web search (Google/DuckDuckGo/etc.) of at least two people you know, and two celebrities or other popular figures (politician, influencer, etc.), to see what you find. If they have a common name, then you may find little information about them exists online. In that case, try another person. As well, examine your own social media accounts on the various platforms you utilize. Critically analyze your findings through the following framework and supplied resources.

Deliverable: In a maximum of 1500 words, detail how someone in a business position should present themselves online, specifically on social media platforms and discussion forums. Explore who should control business accounts, their chosen social media platforms, business-to-customer relations, content, and policies. As well, can and should a person align their own policies and vision with their companies’ policies and their social media?

Citing and referencing is a non-negotiable requirement, using only the supplied links as your sources. A minimum of three of these sources will be used. The document will use APA formatting for the document, citing, and references. The body will be in 12-point font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins. Note: Ensure you are examining and understanding these instructions and supplied rubric, as it provides your success criteria, and as well demonstrates exactly what we are assessing on this assignment.

Links:

https://hiring.monster.ca/employer-resources/workforce-management/improving-employeerelations/workplace-social-media-policy/

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-policy/ https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-policy-for-employees/

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/policies/pages/socialmediapolicy.aspx https://businessesgrow.com/2019/10/23/social-media-policy/

https://www.bdc.ca/en/articles-tools/employees/manage/pages/managing-social-media-tips-ensureappropriate-employee-use.aspx

https://www.cba.org/Publications-Resources/CBA-Practice-Link/2015/2014/Social-media-policies-inthe-workplace-What-works https://getbambu.com/blog/social-media-policy-for-employees/

Answer 1

Below are the points of how a business should present themself on social media

1. Clarify who can speak for your company on social media: The first thing any policy should do is explain who can speak on behalf of your business online. When it comes to social media policy examples, Walmart has a comprehensive set of guidelines. The retail company states that no regular employee should answer customer complains or questions directed towards the company.While these kinds of rules might seem restrictive, it’s often best for larger companies to err on the side of caution.The degree of freedom you give your staff will depend on the nature of your business. If you do allow your people to offer advice to customers, it’s a good idea to train them on things like:

• Brand guidelines: How to talk about your products, services and company.
• Etiquette: How to respond to comments from customers (tone of voice, attitude, etc.)
• Confidentiality: Which details should absolutely not be shared on social media.
• Consequences: What will happen if they fail to use social media correctly.

2. Provide a plan for dealing with conflict: It’s easy for conflict to escalate quickly on social media. The way that public sentiment on these channels rapidly changes means that small problems quickly snowball if not dealt with appropriately. If someone leaves a negative comment about your brand online, or you find yourself dealing with a disagreement, make sure your employees know how to respond.

For some businesses, the best option will be to direct the situation towards specific members of staff trained to deal with PR matters and conflict resolution. You may have members of your team responsible for:

• Crisis response
• Message approval
• Customer service
• PR management
• Social engagement

Alternatively, you may just have a list of rules to follow within your company social media policy. The most important thing to remind your employees is that whatever they say on social media, they’re representing the company – even when on their personal accounts.

An excellent way to make sure that conflicts are always handled properly from the start is to set up pre-approved responses to common issues in a social media management platform like Sprout Social. These responses let your customers know that you’re aware of their concern and direct them towards the right person to resolve the problem. You can even use Sprout’s social listening to ensure you’re the first to know when someone says something negative about your brand. The faster you’re aware of a problem, the easier it is to fix it before the fire spreads.

3. Include personal account guidelines in your social media policy: You may not be able to control everything your employees do and say on their personal social media accounts. However, it’s important to show them why their behavior on personal profiles affects your company and how they can avoid conflict.

Regardless of whether your staff members are actively speaking for you, the world will always see them as a reflection of your brand. If your employees are acting questionably online, this raises suspicion about your business too. Use your company social media policy to outline basic expectations about how your people should behave. For instance, they need to:

Check their facts
Respect the law (including copyright law)
Avoid saying negative things about your brand or other companies
It’s also a good idea to include a disclaimer on personal accounts that reminds your customers that your employee is an individual and not a spokesperson for your organization. For instance, Best Buy’s social media policy reminds team members to state that all of their posts are their own.

4. Consider potential legal risks: There are many risks involved with using social media. The larger your team is, the more amplified those risks become. Your social media policy must provide clear guidelines on how to handle sensitive areas, particularly regarding the law and industry regulations. Make sure your policy covers:

• How to credit sources: Where did the information your employee is sharing come from? Crediting images and other information is crucial.
• Privacy and disclosure procedures: Let your employees know which information is considered confidential, such as customer information.
• Disclaimers: Let your staff know what a disclaimer means when they use it online. As the City of Edmonton outlines in their social media guidelines, even if someone states that their opinions are their own, they’ll still be seen as a representative of the city by the public.
• Regulatory challenges: Certain industries like finance, government, healthcare and so on have specific regulatory obstacles. Outline any rules that may be associated with your industry.

5. Keep your employees (and brand) secure: Finally, social media is a common resource for criminals and scammers. It’s essential for your social media policy to include guidelines that protect your employees and your company. Whether it’s defending against phishing scams or ransomware attacks, make sure that everyone in your organization is vigilant about online protection.

Include guidelines in your company social media policy that cover:

• How to create secure passwords and set up two-factor authentication for brand and personal social media accounts.
• How to keep software updated and devices secure.
• How to identify potential social media risks and attacks
• How to respond if a security breach takes place

6. Make a plan of action for a security or PR crisis: The goal of your social media policy is to prevent the need for a social media crisis management plan. However, it’s best to have both. Do consider whether these should be two separate documents—especially if your social media policy will be public-facing.

Your crisis management plan should include an up-to-date emergency contact list with specific roles: not just the social media team, but your legal and PR experts, all the way up to the C-suite.

Guidelines for identifying the scope of the crisis, an internal communication plan, and an approval process for response will also help you handle it as quickly as possible.