In a world where social media and reality have grown together, there are many techniques that can greatly benefit a company. Listening on social media provides companies with insight of their audience that goes beyond demographics, including how customers view products and common problems. Creating and maintaining accounts on social media, and using them to converse with consumers allows a business to develop a strong relationship with their customers. The positive outcomes extend beyond the customer to their friends, family, and followers.
With an increased professional presence on social media, companies must take action to maintain an appropriate social media existence. Educating employees on proper behavior online sets expectations of acceptable vs unacceptable behavior. Some guidelines for employees regarding official social media accounts to follow include:
- Complying with the company’s confidentially and data protection regulations
- Giving only authorized users access to official social media accounts
- Using appropriate copyrights and citations
- Procedures for how to handle negative comments on accounts
As Intel breaks it down for their employees, there are 3 Rules of Engagement: Disclose, Protect, Use Common Sense. Intel has implemented a #iwork4intel tag for posts with accounts without an Intel handle. They have implemented social media guidelines but not discouraged employees from using social media. Giving power to employees is part of the bottom-up shift of communications. Employees are seen as leaders when they can share content on social media on their company. In addition, the company is seen as more human when employees are sharing content.
Social media isn’t just for consumers. Companies can gather great insight and implement that insight into many different areas. However, they key is making sure their social media presence is a positive one that aligns with the company. Then, a company will have a full all-inclusive social media strategy.
