Set Clear Social Media Boundaries to Avoid Brand Damage

Social media has evolved from a place for college kids to keep up with classmates, to a valuable marketing tool for building your company’s brand. From a telecommunications standpoint, it’s even changing the way emergency alerts are being disseminated.

But, as we all know from our own personal accounts, social media can be a big time waster and it’s so easy to post things only to regret them moments later. In other words: It’s important to think before you post.

Before you open the social media floodgates in your own organization, it’s important that you set clear boundaries to not only avoid a loss in productivity, but also any damage to your brand. Below are a few tools from the IT Downloads library to protect your employees and your organization from possible lapses in judgment.

Social Media Content Guidelines: These directives from an online marketing firm provide a solid framework for building your brand and representing the company in a positive light in online communities like Facebook and Twitter.

Vanderbilt University Guidelines for Getting Started in Social Media: This social media starter kit includes guidelines for getting management approval, setting goals, identifying a coordinator, researching networking tools and launching a social media presence.

Social Media Business Plan Template: This template will help your organization embrace social media as a branding tool while developing a comprehensive plan to protect and promote your image.