The Importance of Social Media Policy

The best social media strategy in the world can be quickly derailed by weak or non-existent policy.  In fact, it can derail an entire company.  Think that’s a little harsh?  Just ask the brass at Domino’s.

Haven’t heard about the Domino’s debacle?  Here’s a quick rundown.  Last April, some Domino’s employees at a location in North Carolina had the great idea make a video of themselves preparing food in what can be  gently described as a ‘not so sanitary manner’.  They put the videos on YouTube and they spread like wild fire.  What happened next is well documented and is an amazing case study in righting a wrong.  A simple Google search will fetch you the information, so I won’t go too far into it here.  But, what almost crippled Domino’s wasn’t the fact that these clowns did what they did, it was the fact that Domino’s had no policy or procedure in place to either deal with the fallout or respond to it in an efficient way.

So, if you are a business or nonprofit who is getting started with a social media plan, you must take the time to discuss policy and best practice within your organization before you dive in.  Why?  Once you are out there in the world of social media, the potential exists for your employees or business partners to speak on your behalf.  If things turn negative, you need to know how you will deal with them.

You also need to make crystal clear to your employees what type of behavior is expected of them online.  Whether they or you like it or not, your employees act as a voice for your company on social media.  When they fill out their Facebook profile and list XYZ Company as their employer, their thoughts and views can be seen as the thoughts and views of XYZ Company.  Obviously, you can’t stop them from doing what they do on their own time, but policy gives you a level of separation from them when things go wrong.  Domino’s didn’t have that, and they were harshly criticized for it.

Things to think about when it comes to policy:

• Who can and can’t officially add content to the organization’s “official” profiles?

• What level of accountability do your employees have for behavior on personal social media outlets?

• How will your organization respond to negative criticism?  Will it be on the fly, or will a committee address each instance?

• Who speaks for the organization in person, if clients, business partners, or the press question your social media activity?

• Who assesses the appropriateness of content?  Again, on the fly or by committee?

All this, and more, must be on paper and made clear within your organization before activity begins.  A good policy can protect the company and answer many questions that are bound to come up from stakeholders and other internal and external parties.  It’s a must as a first step, and is exactly where my company is right now.

Have experience with social media policy?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Committing to Social Media is Key

Now that I’m in full swing, I’m seeing some fantastic things in the way of response to my project. Over 150 people have visited my blog since I moved to WordPress and some 150 more have viewed my pages on Tumblr. Sure, some are duplicates, but the fact remains that anything you write can and will have an audience. If I was selling a product, I might have over 300 potential customers and maybe a nice boost in business.

But, for the last few days views and visits are down to just about zero per day. I have not posted any new content since last week. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you’re not posting new and interesting content, then people aren’t going to pay attention to you. On that we can agree.

But, I’m discovering a very important lesson here, and I know for a fact that some companies out there are ignoring it.  The lesson is:  If you aren’t 100% committed to a strong social media campaign, then you’re not going to get the return you seek. I don’t care if you’re a for-profit, a non-profit, or an informational blog – you can’t dabble in social media when you feel like it and expect results.  Common sense, right?  Sure it is.  But, when you’re a small business or a non-profit, social media may shake to the bottom of your priorities list.  Your blog, your Facebook fan page, your Twitter feed, and your LinkedIn activity can lose momentum fast if you’re not staying on the radar of your audience.

The current conversation the communications and marketing team at my company is having is all about allocating resources.  Who can we commit to social media and how best will the bet used.  This is a big part of the strategy that smaller for- and non-profits must have and must get right, or a great deal of time and potential could get lost in the shuffle.

Social Media Success Comes By Doing

Welcome to everyone who followed me over from my Tumblr blog, and to any new followers. Knowing that people are interested in this project, and are interested enough to give me feedback, makes this so much more fun.

The last few days have been a tremendous learning experience for me as a social media marketing newbie. I’ve seen very quickly how vast the potential of platforms really can be.

I’ve been pounding the Internet, specifically on LinkedIn and Twitter, just raising awareness of my project and testing out the platforms for when its time to launch my company’s strategy. I targeted like-minded groups on LinkedIn and searched around Twitter for people talking about social media in respect to non-profits, small businesses, and getting started. This activity has driven some modest traffic to my blog, and generated some feedback via e-mail. I’ve had visitors from three countries, as well as had some very accomplished marketing professionals express some interest. To say the least, it has been fun and interesting.

One very surprising thing I have noticed from the analytics is that the majority of my traffic is coming by way of LinkedIn. I would have guessed that Twitter would have sent me the most traffic, but I was wrong. Thus, I will continue to focus efforts in the LinkedIn world and will look to adjust what I am doing on Twitter. My guess is that when it’s time to launch my company plan, LinkedIn will be my best asset for professional connections and talent recruitment. But, when it comes to fund raising and general brand awareness, Twitter will be on of my go-to spots.

Here is a brief rundown of how I have positioned my blog, for those of you who are looking for tips:

• I began my blog on Tumblr.com. While I liked how easy and intuitive Tumblr was, they do not offer the option to have followers subscribe via e-mail. I don’t expect many of my followers to sign up for Tumblr just to get my blog, and RSS feeds get cluttered and messages get missed. Bottom line for getting your blog started: test them all out. Find out what options work for you and if they are offered for free (or at all). Worpress looked like a good fit for me, so here I am.

• As I said before, I began to get involved in open discussions on LinkedIn. The easiest way to do that is to join a group and browse the discussions that group members are having on the group’s page. You can chime in on one, or start your own. It seems to be a great way to build personal credibility on an issue, and pick up some great contacts and awesome leads on information.

I did the same thing with Twitter, via the search.twitter.com tool. Amazing amounts of people are talking about anything and everything related to what your line of business does, does well, does poorly, and all things in between. Find someone you think is interesting, and add him or her to your network. If they add you, too, then you can begin a dialogue via the direct message or the ‘@’ functionalities.

LinkedIn is working better for me right now in terms of responses and ideas. You may find that Twitter is better. Just try it all out.

• I plan on involving Facebook in my strategy very soon, so that will be good fodder for a future blog. I see Facebook as the main player, so I want learn some more about how to approach it before I approach it. Also, I want to be careful to keep separation from my personal presence on Facebook and what would be a professional presence as I try to help my company develop a strategy.

All in all, I think I am really starting to devise a strong plan of attack for my company. The relative success of my blog (by my standards!), in a very short time, leads me to believe I will be able to attract a following and turn those followers into business partners, donors, clients, and supporters. I’m pumped!

Starting Slow, or A Slow Start?

It’s been almost a week now and I have yet to capture a single follower. I’ve been hitting a few forums and chiming in, I started following some social media enthusiasts in hopes that they would see my project and it would intrigue them enough to follow, and I’ve been actively contributing on Facebook in social media circles. Not. One. Follower.

Am I upset? Not at all. Why? First, the project isn’t about attracting an audience. My hope was that an audience would grow organically, but my goal doesn’t involve one. My goal is to become a social media expert. And to consider yourself among the best at anything, you have suck at it for awhile.

I’ve received a few e-mails from some people on LinkedIn. But, they were mostly trying to lead me to consultants and experts to help me and my company develop a social media strategy. While I’m excited that someone is even paying attention, that’s not what my project is about. Sure, I want to read, hear, and watch anything and everything that an expert has to say. But, I don’t want them to do anything for me.

So, that’s where I am right now. Sucking at social media. Writing a blog that no one in my family is even interested in. It might phase somebody. But, not me!

If you’re reading this, and you have some thoughts and stories to share with me about how YOU got started in blogging or building a social media empire of your own, please share! And, as always, feel free to tell me what I can do to improve!

The Making of a Social Media Expert

Welcome to my blog.  My name is John Stone and I am The Communications and Marketing Guy.  For the last decade, I have cut my teeth in the communications and marketing field while working for one of the largest non-profit providers of human services in the United States.

The last two years have proven to be monumental in the fields of communications and marketing.  Social Media is the wave of the now, and companies across the globe are scrambling to adapt the way they market.  Non-profits like the organization I work for have not been as quick to recognize and harness the potential of social media, for reasons like lack of resources, lack of time, and fears of negative feedback that would undermine their mission (among others.)  I plan on changing that attitude at my non-profit, and hopefully everywhere else that needs it.  And, I want to take you all along for the ride.

Over the next 18-24 months, I plan on turning myself from a successful Marketing 1.0 professional to a “Marketing 2.0 Expert To Be Reckoned With,” while convincing my company to embrace and utilize social media.  I’ll do the research, I’ll build the case, I’ll devise the strategy, and I’ll assemble the team to make it a success.  You can learn right along with me and become an expert, too.