Personalize Your Businesses Social Media

I Have A Reputation To Uphold! Developing A Social Media Policy.

In building your business and growing your reputation, social media is always a great way to start; especially with its cost of entry.  In your quest to become a social media star and have the highest reputation in the industry, you’ll learn that its important to mix up the message.  Bringing content to followers is an absolute must; after all, that’s the reason they began following you in the first place.  However, filling people with content alone is about as boring as those old, out of date, history textbooks you were forced to read in grade school.  You must mix up the message and deliver your own personality.

In between article delivery and video productions, add a video that you found humorous or tell about something that you encountered recently that brought laughter to your life.  Talk about things of interest to you, outside of your industry, or deliver an unrelated article to bring motivation to your followers.  Anything that tells who you are as a person and helps others to feel a little relief from their own stuffy lives.

Now, on to the meat of the matter!  Be mindful of what you are posting as your interject your own personal touch.  Saying the wrong thing, delivering the wrong message, the unflattering picture of your gut hanging out under your shirt with a beer bottle in your hand, could all play a big hand in jeopardizing your business’ reputation.  To avoid these pitfalls, it’s a wise move to put together your own social media policy.

According to Entrepreneur.com, there are at least 3 significant reasons to enforce such a policy:

1)   Protect your company’s reputation

2)   Minimize confusion about murky legal issues

3)   Raise awareness of your brand

A policy can go a long way in protecting your reputation by ensuring only appropriate, flattering, and business producing items are published under your name or your company’s name.  With the right precautions taken, you can deliver your message, along with your personality, and still maintain your position as an industry professional.

Have you ever wondered, “That’s a fantastic point, but is it legal?”  We all have at one time or another and the rule of thumb is, if you can’t answer that question, don’t make assumptions.  Yes, the name of the game could very well be, “Ask for forgiveness, not for permission.”  However, when it comes to your businesses reputation and your paycheck, don’t assume; it could destroy you.

Finally, with a clear policy in place, you have to realize that you’ve given yourself clear directions for what you can and can not post or comment.  With this in mind, you can now better direct your message and come across with a keen since of knowledge to raise all important awareness for your brand.

So, don’t kill your followers with boredom that definitely could be bad business.  Murder in the first degree shouldn’t be a goal in life.  However, whether you are or not, don’t let your followers know you are the president of the Redneck Yacht Club.  Create a policy that nails down who you are and what should and should not come out of your mouth (or fingers in this instance).  Find direction, stay safe, and get noticed!