Social media can be a powerful tool in helping to reinforce not only a company’s brand and messaging to clients and prospects but also the personal brand of an employee. In a relationship-based environment, this is critical. The underlying foundation for success? Strong internal training in corporate themes and messaging and guidelines that create personal awareness and an individual—but proper—tone. Here are seven tips to consider:
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Determine your brand story. What drives your value proposition? Make sure it is reflected in some way within every online post.
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Create messaging guidelines that let your people know what they should be communicating to clients and when. You can let your people select the topics, but they should be approved by their senior managers and marketing to ensure timeliness and synergy with marketing plans.
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Let each person’s personality shine through his or her post, but create a review process to ensure accuracy and professionalism.
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If you do make a mistake or say something perhaps you shouldn’t have, don’t despair. Defects actually add depth of character to a company. By talking about “lessons learned” or apologizing for errors, colleagues and clients gain confidence in the brand and the ability of your team to manage in the face of adversity.
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Make sure all corporate social media is connected and reviewed daily so you are aware of what’s being said about your company on multiple platforms. This way, any problems or criticism can be addressed immediately.
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It may sound obvious, but remind employees to watch what they say and do on their personal sites or accounts. With ease of search and immediate connectivity, it is impossible to separate the two in terms of your employees’ image and the corporate persona you have worked so hard to create. Care should be taken to review this point with all.
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Strike a balance in tone between casual and approachable, and professional and authoritative.
Marla Bace is a partner and chief marketing officer at Brinton Eaton, a national services firm based in New Jersey.
This article was adapted from PR News’ Employee Communications Guidebook Vol. 3. This and other guidebooks can be ordered at the PR News Press online store.