Planting Seeds in Employees About How Social Media Standards Builds Growth for Your Business
If you haven’t talked to your team yet about the standards for social media marketing for your small business, it’s past the time to have that discussion. We are increasingly moving to an online marketing world and if your team isn’t educated and equipped to handle relationship building and marketing on social media, they are held back from being able to really promote your mission and vision and share your company with their audience.
However, before you release your employees to post, engage and share online – you’ll need to develop some social media marketing standards.
What Are Social Media Standards?
Social Media Standards are, basically, policy manuals developed by your business that showcases the right (and wrong) way to conduct business, conversations, and relationship building on the Internet. Just like a brand style guide is about how to use (or refrain from using) a company’s digital logos and marketing – a social media policy educates a team on how to conduct business on social media in a way that doesn’t negatively impact your brand.
What Should Your Social Media Standards Include?
When crafting your social media standards, here are some things to include (the more you add, the more clarity you give your team):
- Branding Identity Elements – what graphics and logos are available and how they can be used. Be clear about how they shouldn’t be used as well. Here’s a great article on brand style guides.
- Social Media Goals
- Why is your business on social media?
- What does your business want social media marketing to achieve?
- What specific goals or strategies have you developed for your social media marketing?
- Social Media Strategy
- What channels or platforms are you using?
- What hashtags are approved for use with your posts?
- Who is your ideal client or target audience?
- Social Media Policies & Procedures
- What should be done if there is a complaint?
- Should you engage with an upset follower online and what’s the process?
- Who is authorized to deal with online complaints?
- What’s the plan of action if there is a security issue or PR crisis develops?
- What are the security protocols – who has access to what accounts and how is that controlled? How often are passwords updated? What is your password strategy?
- How are you complying with local laws and how does that impact what your team can (and can’t) post?
How Does a Social Media Standards Guide Help My Team?
By developing social media standards and then putting together a guide on your style and policies, you equip your team so they clearly understand what is appropriate and expected of them in terms of their interactions online regarding your brand. Your team will feel empowered and educated, armed with the knowledge they need to be successful. An uneducated team that lacks direction will be hesitant and nervous about using social media marketing to move the needle for your business.
Personal Brands for Your Team
It is also valuable to have a discussion with your team members about their own personal brand. As an employee of your company, their online persona is a reflection of your corporate brand. Not only could this be a potential liability, most businesses don’t take the time to even address it. By putting together training to develop that online persona, and talking tips and strategies for best utilizing that personal branding online, you are empowering your staff to not only make the company look great but to also develop themselves in an online space.
Whether you need help drafting a social media policy for your team, coming up with a social media strategy for your business, or want to bring in expert help to train your sales team on the best way to utilize social media marketing – we’ve got your back here at The Social Media Advisor!
Are you looking for a social media company to train your staff on online marketing strategies and equip them with the tools to maintain engagement, spark interest through LinkedIn, and build a solid foundation company-wide? Training can be done virtually or in-person. Get more information on our website here.
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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.
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