Social Media Policy
May 16th, 2011 | Posted by Paul |
Social Media Policy. Social Media Practice. What is the best social media policy & practice to take?
I thought I’d mix social media “policy” and “practice” together, as I think there’s one all encapsulating statement which encompasses both these fundamentals of social media.
In my mind your social media policy should be built around the following: “To interact, inform, educate & entertain”.
Interaction is the whole point about social media. If you’re not going to interact with other people/organisations etc within the practice of your social media activities – the STOP NOW! – and go take up fishing or some other sole activity that requires no input or communication with anyone else.
For those who know anything about media, you may recognise the BBC’S “Mission Statement” to inform, educate & entertain. And I think this is fundamental to any social media policy. This should be the “phrase that pays”, i.e. if there’s one Golden Rule sitting in the back of your mind when you’re forming your social media policies – information, education & entertainment should be forefront in your thinking no matter what social media tools or medium you use.
The mere act of interacting with people will result in the flow of information by which both you and they will be educated. And, becuase we are human and NOT automated keyword/Google alert scapers whilst we are interacting with others – there will be an element of “entertainment” in there. Humour, or “humor”, for example can be used quite effectively in business dealings.
And please, please, please if your “Social Media Policy Think Tank”, (that’s you brainstorming by yourself or a group session), starts with wondering what you can do with 140 characters….. STOP AGAIN & go join your friend on the riverbank. Developing a social media policy is NOT initially about wondering which messages to send on which social media outlets.
You ought to be looking at what you do first? What communication do you have with the outside world already, (email,newsletter, blog etc) – and what feedback & communication do you have people through these mediums? After in-depth analysis of your present communications it maybe possible to improve your business interactions without resorting to a whole new social media platform activity. Remember – having a “social media presence” isn’t for everyone – regardless of what all the snake oil social media gurus might try to tell/sell you.
Another important area to think about whilst developing your own social media policy is to consider what your opponents, (or what a similar business model to your own), is doing in the social media world. What outlets do they use? What messages do they send? What responses do they get? (On the visible surface), does it seem like their social media practices are “effective” – are they interacting, informing, educating and entertaining?
Research, research, research. And then research some more. DO NOT go setting up “fanpages” or other social media accounts anywhere before you have done your research.
And, after all that research, the other simple question you have to ask yourself is – “What do I want achieve from having a social presence?”. If you think you’re in for a quiet life – better tell your two friends by the fishpond to set you up another stool! I will reiterate it again – SOCIAL MEDIA is exactly that – being social.
To summarise – developing a social media policy and/or practice is not that difficult as long as you think about it logically and use the ideas, suggestions and methodologies I’ve described in this article.
I’m NOT a social media guru, just a simple bloke with a set of easy-to-follow guidelines for setting up your own social media policies.
