10 Things You Should and Should Not Do with Social Media and Your Employees

We are in the Digital Age, and that means everyone is on social media – including your employees. It leaves you with a whole new world to manage, as employee social media that is not monitored could end up causing your company some serious issues in the future. While it is important to find a middle ground, and to also ensure that you do not stalk your workers, there are a few things that you should remember to do and avoid when it comes to employee social media. 

Things to Do

#1 Always Have a Plan
You need to have a plan for employee use of social media in the workplace. You might not think this is a big issue, but an employer can be held responsible for the actions of those who work for them online, and employees could leak information about a company online for everyone to see. It doesn’t matter if it occurs at home or in the office, so you need to make sure you have a firm plan in place. 

#2 Implement a Clear Policy
This brings you to developing and implementing a clear policy for social media and what is allowed, as well as what is prohibited. It should contain details of appropriate and inappropriate behavior, in addition to things that are strictly forbidden. Of course, you should ensure legal professional looks through it first to make sure that nothing has been missed and that the policy makes sense. 

#3 Train Your Employees  
A formal training program will teach your employees how to behave on social media where the workplace is concerned and also show them the consequences for violating the policy. It also shows that you, as a company, are committed to ensuring that your public image remains sound. 

#4 Keep Detailed Records  
The records that should be kept are ones that refer to your employees have read and understood the social media policy that you have implemented. This means that you know, and have proof of, each employee agreeing to and understanding the policy. 

#5 Monitor Responsibly
In many jurisdictions, you have the right to monitor your employee’s social media at all times. However, you should make sure that you monitor them responsibly as too much of it can cause tension in the workplace, a lack of morale, and a decline in your worker’s trust in you. 

Things Not to Do

#1 Don’t be Too Hasty
If an employee violates your social media policy, you must not rush to fire or punish them. Not just because of the potential legal implications, but also because you can lower morale. Try talking through the situation with them and giving them a warning before you terminate their contract. 

#2 Make Sure Your Policy Does Not Overreach
By this, we mean that you should not exercise too much control over what your employee’s do on social media. While there are things that should certainly be banned or restricted, social media is also a personal place and your policies should not reach that far in. 

#3 Make Sure the Policy Goes Company Wide
Everyone has to adhere to the policy. Whether it’s the interns or the CEO, the social media policy needs to stretch across the entire company. This leaves everyone being treated as equals, but also ensures that you are protected as a company. 

#4 Don’t Forget a Contact Person
Some employees are going to have questions about the policy, and you will need to appoint someone as the person they contact when they have a query or concern. This will not only make you more transparent to your employees but will also ensure that their questions are answered satisfactorily. 

#5 Don’t be Inconsistent
When it comes to disciplinary actions, you should always be consistent and treat everyone equally. It gives you legal protection, but also means that unrest among employees is likely to be massively decreased because they will know that they have not been singled out. It keeps morale steady and everyone feeling like equals. 

To Conclude
Social media is not an easy thing to manage, especially in the workplace. It is likely that you will always have the odd employee who does something wrong and perhaps slanders the company they work for online. However, having a plan and policy in place that promises disciplinary action is a sure way to reduce this risk. Just remember that you should ensure your monitoring is balanced and that you don’t overreach when it comes to restricting your workers.
 

Really, Another Article on Social Media?

Leveraging Social Media   

I know what you’re thinking… ‘Another article on social media?” But read on… there are some things you may not know.
Social media is a viable tool for marketing your products and services and managing your brand identity. It is inexpensive, easy to work with and offers a great network of potential clients. Daily, millions of people use social networking applications. Social media is all about conversation and building effective relationships. Facebook, Twitter,

Google+, Instagram amongst others are all avenues to sell your company. Social media is powering the world in ways we could never have imagined years back. Today, connections are formed out of thin air. Imagine the millions of people that daily use social networking applications.

Did you know that 22% of Americans use social media multiple times in a single day? Selling your company in today’s competitive market involves a savvy use of social media.  There are tons of social media applications and websites available; however there is need to choose carefully before investing your time and energy in one. You should invest in a platform that supports your brand image. 

Till date, Facebook remains the best platform for creating brand awareness – its user base is diverse and nearly 75% of adult Americans use it. Tell me, how then is this not a wonderful channel through which you could build your brand and sell yourself to the world?

Setting up a Facebook page isn’t enough. It needs to be interactive, drive conversation and promote your brand all at the same time. If you only promote your products and services you will lose viewers. Try adding interesting tidbits, for example, a blurb about the history of pasta. To encourage conversation, you could post trivia and questions like “when you were growing up, what was your favorite comfort food?” How about a category for each day of the week:  Monday’s – “Foodies, Can You Guess This?” Tuesday’s- “What’s Happening in the Kitchen Today.” Wednesday’s- “Recipe of the Week” , Thursday’s – Event of the Week” and so on. Endeavor to provide your followers with something that piques their interest and that they can as well share to other people.

Businesses, especially those that rely heavily on images have lately have been flocking to Instagram in droves and rightly so because Instagram allows you to sell your company  by posting images and short videos. While many companies have difficulty getting relevant content,  we are very fortunate, everyday there is a new event to capture. How lucky are we that we have a professional photographer at most of our events. Make sure when posting to give the photographer photo credit.

There is the option of Facebook group page or business (fan) pages. Business and fan pages let you measure your traffic. With fan pages, you can add feeds from other applications like YouTube Box, Flicker, and Twitter. For Facebook groups, you don't have that many options. When your fans take action on your page, their actions will be documented on the news feeds of their personal pages. Their friends could see the news feeds and check out your business page. Fan pages stand out on profiles, whereas group pages get lost in the mix. Fan pages enable you to provide unlimited news or updates to your fans while Facebook groups are limited to a definite number.

Don’t forget about Pinterest;  a wonderful social network where you can reach people. When setting up your business page make it easy for visitors and name your boards; Culinary, Design, Cocktails, Weddings, and for each photo make sure you add descriptive words so it can continue to be re-pinned.

 Video sharing services like YouTube allow you to add captivating videos of your products and services. When using YouTube, make sure you properly brand the beginning and end of your video with contact information and a call to action.

Blogging is also a wonderful way to sell your brand. Start a blog that is attached to your Facebook and website. Search engines easily pick up blogs. Platforms such as WordPress and Joomla make it easy to promote yourself to your target audience. On these platforms, you could post on topics that would pique the interest of your audience and they would find educational while at the same time highlighting your unique skills and experience. Did you know that Blog posts with images receive 94% more views? Don’t be afraid to make use of visual content. Email marketing is also very beneficial. You could send an email blast teaser to direct people to your Facebook, blog or website. Another way could be adding link icons of your blogs, Facebook pages, Instagram and Twitter accounts to your email signature and all internet direct mail. 
Keep in mind that people who post on your Facebook page, Tweet about you or comment on your blog want to be heard. It is extremely important that you engage with your social community and answer or comment promptly. 

With building your brand on social media, you should be careful who is representing your brand. Your employees play a big part in brand management and will need to be screened by you. This is important with all social network sites. Every single piece of content shared should support your brand identity. Poor choices of content, images tend to reflect poorly on your company. Set guidelines for your team to follow, suggest different accounts for business and personal and encourage them to play an active role in the company brand strategy.

The old expression, it’s not what you know; it’s who you know holds true in this new age marketing strategy. Continue to tweet, blog and post and watch your efforts flourish.

Hello, World!

Leveraging Social Media

Meryl Snow written for Catersource Magazine

I know what you’re thinking—another article on social media? But read on…there are some things you may not know.

Social media is a viable tool for marketing your products and services, and managing your brand identity. It is inexpensive, easy to work with, and offers a great network of potential clients. Social media is all about conversation and building effective relationships. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram (among others) are all avenues to sell your company’s products. Social media is powering the world in ways we could never have imagined years ago. Today, connections are formed out of thin air. Imagine the millions of people that use social networking applications daily. Did you know that 22 percent of Americans use social media multiple times in a single day? Selling your company in today’s competitive market involves a savvy use of these resources. There are tons of social media applications and websites available; however, there is also a need to choose carefully before investing your time and energy. You should invest in a platform that supports your brand image.

Facebook

Facebook remains the best platform for creating brand awareness—its user base is diverse and nearly 75 percent of adults use it. Tell me, how then is this not a wonderful channel through which you could build your brand and sell it to the world? Setting up a Facebook page isn’t enough, however. It needs to be interactive, drive conversation, and promote your brand all at the same time. If you only promote your products and services you will lose viewers. Try adding interesting tidbits: for example, a blurb about the history of pasta. To encourage conversation, you could post trivia and questions like, “when you were growing up, what was your favorite comfort food?” How about a category for each day of the week:

Monday – “Foodies, Can You Guess This?”
Tuesday – “What’s Happening in the Kitchen Today?”
Wednesday – “Recipe of the Week”
Thursday – “Event of the Week” and so on.

Endeavor to provide your followers with something that piques their interest and that they can also share to other people.

There is also the option of Facebook group or business (fan) pages. Business and fan pages let you measure your traffic. With fan pages, you can add feeds from other applications like YouTube Box, Flicker, and Twitter. For Facebook groups, you don’t have that many options. When your fans take action on your page, their actions will be documented on the news feeds of their personal pages. Their friends could see the news feeds and check out your business page. Fan pages stand out on profiles, whereas group pages get lost in the mix. Fan pages enable you to provide unlimited news or updates, while Facebook groups are limited to a definite number.

Instagram

Businesses, especially those that rely heavily on images, have lately have been flocking to Instagram in droves, and rightly so—because Instagram allows you to sell your company by posting images and short videos. While many companies have difficulty getting relevant content, we are very fortunate. Everyday there is a new event to capture. I am lucky that my company has a professional photographer at most of our events. Make sure when posting to give the photographer credit.

Pinterest, YouTube

Pinterest is a terrific social network, allowing you to reach people through their specific interests. When setting up your business page, make it easy for visitors and name your boards: Culinary, Design, Cocktails, Weddings, and for each photo make sure you add descriptive words so it can continue to be “re-pinned”—shared, that is. Video sharing services like YouTube allow you to add captivating videos of your products and services. When using YouTube, make sure you properly brand the beginning and end of your video with contact information.

Blogs & email

Blogging is also a wonderful way to sell your brand, as search engines easily pick them up. Start a blog that is attached to your Facebook and website. Platforms such as WordPress and Joomla make it easy to promote yourself to your target audience. On these platforms, you can post about topics that will pique the interest of your audience and they will find educational, while at the same time highlight your unique skills and experience. Did you know that blog posts with images receive 94 percent more views? Don’t be afraid to make use of visual content.

Email marketing is also very beneficial. You can send an email blast teaser to direct people to your Facebook, blog, or website. Another way—add link icons of your blogs, Facebook pages, Instagram, and Twitter accounts to your email signature and all Internet direct mail.

Keep in mind that people who post on your Facebook page, tweet about you, or comment on your blog want to be heard. It is extremely important that you engage with your social community and answer or comment promptly. With building your brand on social media, you should be careful who is representing your brand. Your employees play a big part in brand management and will need to be screened. This is important with all social network sites. Every single piece of content shared should support your brand identity. Poor choices of content and bad images tend to reflect poorly on your company. Set guidelines for your team to follow, suggest different accounts for business and personal, and encourage them to play an active role in the company brand strategy. The old expression, it’s not what you know; it’s who you know holds true in this new age marketing strategy.

Continue to tweet, blog, and post—and watch your efforts flourish.

Meryl's book just released!