“Professional marketers are trained to distribute highly controlled and contrived messages usually via a one-way monologue – social media is quite the opposite”

An article by Kate Hennessy

1. Decide who represents the company in social media

Don't choose people who are inclined to rely on corporate positioning, says O'Byrne. Allow approved individuals to become bona fide profiles and get one-on-one conversation going. Try to appoint someone who knows your product or service, and intuitively understands how your customers communicate.

2. Draw a line between openness and corporate responsibility

Social media is about opinions, so you want to be brave but not pick fights. If your employees are blogging about matters related to your company, Crebar recommends a disclaimer that states the content is their personal view and not that of the company. But remember, a disclaimer will not prevent brand damage.

3. Communicate your social media policy to employees

Explain you want a consistent voice and put them in touch with your social media trained staff member. Employees can be the eyes and ears for this person but must understand they should not respond on behalf of the brand. You can make employees personally liable for negative outcomes that ensue if they decide to openly represent your company - after seeing your guidelines to the contrary - by writing it into their employment contract, says Crebar. If incorrect or inflammatory information is spread by one of your employees, immediately talk to the responsible employee offline. Ask them what their objective was and try to resolve the issue without laying them off. Provide them with the correct information and ask that they personally revoke their statements.

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