Here are some guidelines for handling social responsibility:
Exercise Confidentiality
Ensure that information that is confidential to the organization is not shared. Determine what information is confidential and establish policy around it. Make sure everyone involved knows and is brief regarding this policy.
Companies like Best Buy have used social media to address privacy concerns(Eridon, 2011).
Productivity Clause
A productivity clause must be in place in an effort to actively gauge employee usage of social media in the workplace. How social media affects workplace productivity is a huge concern for organizations that are so highly co dependent on a systematic approach.
Common Sense Clause
I found Ford's social media policy interesting as they keep it very simple for employees by just encouraging them to use common sense. Often times a simple approach to evaluating content and social responsibility leads to an impactful adherence to this kind of clause.It's a simple concept but the most important when deciding which content to post.
Establish an Engagement Plan
Establishing an engagement plan with consumers leads to not only a stronger brand image but ensures active engagement between the organization and its public. Walmart sets the bar with its vast amount of active Twitter follows who happen to be employees.Walmart uses Twitter as a means to engage their consumers through their strong base of employees.
Share of voice
Every organization must determine its share of voice in advance to avoid common sense mistakes(Eridon, 2011). Deciding who is going to share what within the organization is very important because it controls the tone and perception of the organization.It functions as damage control in a tragic situation.
Social Media Policy Examples:
http://humanresources.about.com/od/policysamplesb/a/blogging_policy.htm
http://www.bakerdstreamingvid.com/publications/Baker_Daniels_Social-Media-Policy.pdf
Eridon, C. (2011, December 14). 5 noteworthy examples of corporate social media policies. Retrieved from http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/29441/5-Noteworthy-Examples-of-Corporate-Social-Media-Policies.aspx
Social networking. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mashable.com/category/social-networking/
Hi Kenya,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love the guidelines you list out, especially "Share of Voice". A book I am reading in another course has eight social media skills necessary for a successful campaign and plan (the title is Social Media and Public Relations by Deidre Breakenridge). The Reputation Task Force member is responsible for protecting the reputation of a company and its products, by ensuring all stakeholders understand the brands core values, as well as having established ways to monitor and measure sentiment towards the organization.
Additionally, the Pre-Crisis Doctor, another crucial role, is responsible for the proactive monitoring of social media conversations, to track all positive and negative sentiments of its publics. The role also includes measurement of comments and plans for the appropriate responses by the required personnel, as well as taking steps to slow down the momentum of bad press.
I think these are two roles that are crucial for the a solid and successful social media team. Would your company benefit from these roles?
Great post!
Sabrina
Hi Sabrina,
ReplyDeleteThank you! Absolutely! Having a crisis plan in place is crucial to combating negative press. Protecting the reputation of a company is its most important assets.Protecting it is a full time task that requires a strategic approach that requires the inclusion of exactly the right personnel in order for the protection plan to be successful. My company would not only benefit but it would be essential to any organizational operations.