Social Media Guidelines for Staff and Employees

A Guide to Social Media Instruction for Employees

Social media is now becoming an unavoidable force that can no longer be ignored by businesses. There are many professionals out there that pitch about their levels of expertise and how they can help you, but the best plan for social media is to hire someone who is already in your current workforce.

Statistics

• 48% of senior financial executives predict that social media will be an effective factor for corporate marketing in the future.
• 53% of business executives forecast that corporate social media will continue to increase over the next year.

Options for Social Media Campaigns

Hiring outside firms may seem safer because they offer a higher level of expertise when it comes to handling social media, but most companies find that their own employees make better brand ambassadors. This is because they can use their own networks to find new clients and generate buzz. This option must be carefully thought out, because the employees that manage your social media must be trained to handle anything that comes their way.

5 Training Groups

1. The Digital Native
This type of employee was raised with technology and social media. The focus on his/her training should be on meeting your specific social media goals and how to find and use metrics.

2. The Savvy Technologist
This type of employee is a self taught expert when it comes to social media and web technology. Train him/her to focus on your most preferred social media platforms and learn how to engage with your audience.

3. The Reluctant User
This type of employee is knowledgeable about social media networks but is not willing to use them in his/her daily life. Train this employee to focus on advanced use of social media and let him/her become more familiar with available tools.

4. The Digital Contrarian
This type of employee is against the digital age and doesn’t envision how social media could benefit your company. The way to deal with this employee category is to take the time to explain the process and reveal to him/her how businesses can benefit from social media campaigns.

5. The Digital Newbie
This type of employee is completely unaware and new to the social media and digital world. This employee should be trained to know the basics of social media and how they can help meet the company’s goals.

Personal Use of Social Media

Employees are an extension of your brand, so anything they share on their personal networks is a reflection of your business as well. Make sure that you come up with a policy that addresses social media use in order to protect the reputation of your company.

Some subjects to address are:

• Speaking on behalf of the company.
• Personal and business behavior on social media.
• Expression of personal opinions.
• Classified information, such as numbers, performance data, and internal communication.

Use the above tips to help you teach your employees how to run your social media campaign successfully. Being aware of the powers and dangers of social media will not only give you a better handle on how your business is presented, but will give you a better insight on how to use it to your advantage as well. Give your employees this knowledge to save yourself the time and hassle it takes to maintain a social status and reap the benefits from their work as well.