It\u2019s no secret that social media has become completely ubiquitous, even in the business world. Because of the blurred lines between professional and personal social media, what’s posted by you and your staff\u2014whether it\u2019s in the context of your business or not\u2014can easily conflict with the public company message you want to convey. Likewise, posting overly personal business information can result in surprisingly negative consequences on your insurance policies.<\/p>\n
In the latter case, this can relate to data mining from insurance companies. It’s a situation where your premiums could be affected if you get too specific about things happening to your business.<\/p>\n
Most of all, though, any type of private information can end up being a legal problem if you aren’t careful. This goes for you, the business owner, and it especially goes for employees you don’t monitor every day.<\/p>\n
So how do you manage your business on social media so you know everything said there won’t hurt your company legally or financially? By taking some smart management steps, you can get everyone on the same page.<\/p>\n
Simply calling a meeting to discuss a general social media policy can get all of your employees aware of your concerns. If necessary, create a rule book and make copies for every employee on how they should conduct themselves when on social media. This can apply to both your company\u2019s accounts, as well as their personal accounts should they choose to share the fact that they work for the company.<\/p>\n
Signing disclosure agreements are sometimes frowned upon by employees, yet they are sometimes necessary if you have trade secrets you don’t want blabbed online. This still may not prevent an unscrupulous employee from posting something you\u2019ll regret, so choose who has posting access carefully to avoid PR disasters.<\/p>\n