This week’s Big Marketing Minute is about why a Social Media Policy matters, even for the smallest of companies. There are several reasons for this but today I’m focusing on just two:
- Employee engagement matters for your brand.
- Your employees represent your business, like it or not.
Employee Engagement Matters for your Brand.
Below is a screenshot of metrics from two recent posts we published for one client. In the left box, you can see the post was shared once. Just once. In the right box, that post was shared zero times. Look at the top left number in each box: the post with one share performed 64% better than the post with none. More shares meant more views, which meant more interaction, which meant even more views. One little share made a world of difference.
Imagine if everyone who works at that company shared the post?
My recommendation: make sure your employees know the expectation. At the very least, they should understand that LinkedIn specifically is a sales tool and should be treated as such. If your company is publishing on its LinkedIn page, that’s simple content for every salesperson to share with their own caption.
Anyone who is public-facing or in sales needs to be active on LinkedIn and needs to regularly share company content each month. It supports their own sales efforts, builds their footprint, and supports the company as a whole. Set the expectation on day one.
Your Employees Represent Your Business, Like it or Not.
Earlier this week we had a situation in the social media world revolving one of my beloved communities, Peloton. If you don’t know the story, my friend Lindsay Pinchuk laid it out simply and better than I could have.
As many did, I wrote a letter to Peloton. The response I got back was pathetic. Here is part of the email I received back:
“We acknowledge the distress this has caused you and we take your experience and feedback very seriously. While our Instructors manage their own personal social media accounts, the individual content shared on those channels operates independently of Peloton’s official brand views.”
Uh uh. Nope.
Peloton, YOU made these people famous. YOUR name is on their Instagram profile. Which means you do have a say about what they can and cannot post. Their fame and notoriety came about because you hired them. When they post, they are affiliated with you, like it or not. If they are going to reach outside of the box of fitness, then you need to be okay with what they are sharing. So by not having this particular instructor apologize, it appears you agree with what he posted. I already know two people who canceled their membership this week. I’m still waiting to see if you are going to do the right thing. You’re a community, afterall, so are you going to make it inclusive or inclusive only for some?
If you think I didn’t send a follow-up email, you don’t know me very well.
Employees are extensions of their brands – especially if that brand has elevated them to thought leader, or they are public-facing from the company. The company has every right to reprimand, force an apology and a deletion. But, again, make sure the expectations are clear.
You can’t pull a policy out of nowhere. Be sure you’ve got it written and ready and that everyone has a copy of it with their new-hire handbook.
Got questions? Let me know.
Earlier this week, there was a situation in the social media world involving one of my beloved communities, Peloton. If you don’t know the story, my friend Lindsay Pinchuk laid it out simply, and better than I could.
Like many others, I wrote a letter to Peloton. The response I got back was pathetic. Here’s part of what they sent:
“We acknowledge the distress this has caused you and we take your experience and feedback very seriously. While our Instructors manage their own personal social media accounts, the individual content shared on those channels operates independently of Peloton’s official brand views.”
Uh uh. Nope.
Peloton, you made these people famous. Your name is on their Instagram profile, which means you absolutely have a say in what they can and cannot post. Their fame came from you hiring them. When they post, they’re affiliated with you, like it or not. If they’re going to reach outside the box of fitness, you need to be okay with what they’re sharing. By not making this instructor apologize, it looks like you agree with what he posted. I already know two people who canceled their membership this week. I’m still waiting to see if you’ll do the right thing. You call yourselves a community, so which is it: inclusive for everyone, or inclusive for some?
If you think I didn’t send a follow-up email, you don’t know me very well.
Employees are extensions of their brands, especially when that brand has elevated them to thought leader status or put them in a public-facing role. The company has every right to reprimand, demand an apology, and require a deletion. But again: make sure the expectations are clear.
You can’t pull a policy out of nowhere. Get it written, get it ready, and make sure everyone has a copy of it with their new-hire handbook.
Got questions? Let me know.
by 
