Social media is not just for personal use anymore. Companies are starting to catch on and realize that social media is one of the many ways of the future. Dell reported that Twitter made them $1 million in revenue in the last year, and they are not alone. Social media is making its way into business and it is becoming an everyday practice that can no longer be ignored. Companies are starting to create social media policies as a precaution against the uncertainty and ever changing social landscape. These policies are guidelines for employees on how to communicate online as well as making it crystal clear what will and will not fly at your dealership.
Tip 1: Establish your company’s viewpoint.
What is your company’s attitude toward social media? Start figuring out the stance you want to take and the attitude you want to portray.
Tip 2: State what social media is.
You need to establish what sites are considered social media to your company. Is it just Facebook and Twitter or is it blogging sites, picture websites, Youtube etc., the list goes on. Social media means different things to different people, so make sure you intentionally clarify what social media sites you are referring to.
Tip 3: Maintain company confidentiality.
You do not want your employees exposing your company secrets or bashing clients online. You want to make sure that your employees are not disclosing any information that is proprietary to your company or to any third parties associated with you. Employees may reveal information without knowing because of the casual nature of social media, and you need to have guidelines in place to steer them away from this type of posting.
Tip 4: Employees identified with the company.
You want to be sure that when your employees are writing on the company’s behalf, that those views reflect highly on your business. The employee should identify themselves as an employee of the company and have the company’s best intentions. Or, if this is not the case have your employee write a disclaimer stating that these views are theirs and theirs alone and do not reflect the views of the company.
Tip 5: Know the terms.
When you have a new employee make sure they receive an employee handbook that outlines the company’s policies. Also ensure that they have read through them, understand them and do not have any questions.
Tip 6: Referring to clients, customers, partners etc.
Your employees should never post about other employees, customers and manufacturers in a negative way. This could create volatile feelings and situations, with a bit of foresight, this can be easily avoided.
Tip 7: Plagiarizing or copyrights.
With online and social media initiatives growing at a rapid rate, the line between plagiarism, piggy backing, and borrowing has never been so grey. Make it clear what is and isn’t acceptable. Stepping over the line can at times create a legal issue that is always better to avoid.
Tip 8: Productivity.
You need to set guidelines when employees are using and posting to social media during work hours. Set a guideline so that the work stays productive.
Tip 9: Company logos.
When posting online, your company logo or trademark should only be included when specific permission has been granted. Your company’s logo is the face of your company and it’s key to keep it out of association with negative or damaging content.
Tip 10: Consequences and disciplinary action.
When an employee does something outside your set guidelines, have a process set in place to take action. Identify the problems and then associate a fair consequence. This can be anything from not using social media during work hours to position termination.
Social media policies should become an important part of your businesses to ensure that all the bases are covered. If you are incorporating social media into your company, we would highly suggest creating a social media policy – you and your employees will always have something to reference back to. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in this case.
For great examples of corporate social media policies check out: http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php
*Image Credit: Vicki and Chuck Rogers
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Filed under: Step-by-Step, rv dealership, Social Media Guidelines, Social Media Policy, social media tools
