So you listened to your friends and advisors and finally established your company’s presence on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Now you can control your company’s web presence, right?
Certainly more and more companies are making their presence known through all the different social media sites. With Facebook approaching 1.5 billion users and Twitter nearing 700 million, it can be a very cost-effective way of getting your company’s message out. It can help attract tech savvy employees and keep your clients and customers connected with your company.
There are, however, some things you need to consider.
Blurred Lines Between Personal and Professional
With more and more employees bringing electronic devices that connect to social media into the workplace, the increasingly blurry line between private and public comments could become a security concern. According to Real Business, "many still do not realize that the difference between a chat on Facebook and one in a bar is that social media posting constitutes publication and dissemination to a potential audience of millions. It’s therefore crucial for companies to consider the extent to which they embrace social media. For instance, with access to social networking sites during working hours potentially reducing productivity, do they need to consider restricting usage?"
There have been plenty of stories out there of employees venting unflattering things about their company online. Couple that with pictures employees may post, those things can negatively impact the perception of the company. It’s not uncommon for prospective or existing customers to Google a company and how they’re represented on social media may have a big impact on that perception.
Be Mindful of How Your Posts Are Interpreted
Another consideration is what one employee may think of another employee’s post and whether they consider that discriminatory or inflammatory. If an employee feels that a post is creating a hostile work environment, the employer may become liable.
What You Can Do
So how does a business owner protect his or herself while taking advantage of the marketing opportunities that are available? Companies with strong HR departments craft comprehensive social media policies that address things that create clear guidelines about what is and isn’t acceptable during work hours and the repercussions to employees that don’t abide by the company’s policies. Unfortunately, cookie-cutter approaches don’t work and these policies must be tailored to individual companies.
So what does a small business owner do? Well, for one, they can reach out to an HR company, like GMS to get help.