• How to Establish a Social Media Policy

    By Laurel Miltner | Posted Apr 21, 2010 | 2 Comment(s) | Filed in: Business, Management, Social Media

    Even if your organization is shy of embracing social media for its business benefits, the fact remains that it is not a medium that can be ignored. Whether endorsed by the company or not, your employees, job candidates, customers, prospects, shareholders and other key audiences are likely active online, and without establishing some kind of social media guidelines for their behavior, you run the risk of damaging your company's reputation.

    A Social Media Policy, at its core, is simply a set of guidelines to share with employees that provides clear rules and regulations for online activity — both during and outside of work hours.

    However, with social media only recently becoming a force to consider in the workplace, many people (including those at the executive level), are at a loss for how to approach this new form of communication. How can you go about setting parameters that will encourage employees to be themselves, and protect their own and the company’s reputations, without stifling personal freedoms?

    Following is a four-step plan for developing your company’s Social Media Policy.

    social media policy

    Step 1: Find your champions.

    Establish a committee, or team of internal stakeholders, that will be involved in the development and approval of the company’s social media policy. Ideally this group will embrace the business benefits of social media, and include: someone at the executive level, representatives from several departments within the organization, and at least one social media active.

    Step 2: Do your research.

    Find out what people are saying about your company online by running Google, Facebook and Twitter searches for your company name, popular products and executives.

    Review the company’s current social media participation, both at the individual and corporate levels. Send internal surveys to determine who is active online, on what sites and to what extent. See where your organization lies on Forrester's Social Technographics Ladder using their Social Technology Profile Tool.

    Look into blog and forum comments from active personnel, as well as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. Determine the online influence of employees through Grader tools from HubSpot.

    While scouring the net, did you come across any red flags? If you see negative comments (either from internal or external parties) about your company, or identify any inappropriate employee behavior, take note of them to ensure that such instances are addressed in your policy.

    Step 3: Take advantage of existing resources.

    It’s quite likely that you already have existing policies in place regarding employee behavior. So, why start from scratch? Just because the platform is different doesn’t mean that you’re telling employees anything new in regard to what is considered acceptable or unacceptable activity and information sharing. For example:

    • Consider language in existing employee handbooks specific to professional behavior.
    • Consider any corporate communications and/or legal policies or procedures related to communications made by company representatives and employees.
    • Evaluate any internal communications to date specifically related to social media participation, either on an individual, departmental or corporate level.
    • Review any existing internal documentation and/or strategy related to monitoring social media activity.

    Step 4: Develop your Social Media Policy.

    Armed with all the information you need, now it’s time for the committee to sit down and develop your organization’s social media guidelines. A few elements to consider:

    Start with an introduction to social media: What it is and why the company is addressing it.

    State the goal of the policy, and how it integrates with those that already exist.

    Lay out 10-15 guidelines for employees to follow in their online behavior. A best practice is to focus on what is appropriate rather than what is not, to keep the tone positive. Specific topics to cover may include:

    • Authentic representation of brand and self: The importance of using real names, and the lack of true anonymity on the Web.
    • Disclosure, confidentiality and privacy, such as: guidelines for sharing company information with the public, who has the authority to comment on behalf of the company, and when it is necessary to disclose affiliations with the company and/or clients.
    • Having a purpose in online communications, and bringing value to the community.
    • Policies for usage and productivity during business hours.
    • Professionalism: Taking ownership of your words and actions, and respecting copyrights.
    • How government or industry regulations apply to online conversations.
    • How to address potential challenges before they occur, such as “friending” colleagues, superiors and subordinates. 

     Address plans for monitoring and enforcement:

    • Determine who is responsible for monitoring employees’ online behavior, and what this entails.
    • Clearly state the ramifications of misuse, and how policies will be upheld.

    Also, consider sharing an appendix of resources with employees that may help them be more productive in their use of online media. For example: introductions to Netvibes or Google Reader, directions for setting up Google Alerts, or details on Facebook privacy settings.

    Does your organization have a formal Social Media Policy? What are the key elements it includes?


    Laurel Miltner is a consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Laurel on Twitter @laurelmackenzie.

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    Additional (External) Resources:

  • What Your Blog May Be Missing

    By Laurel Miltner | Posted Jan 29, 2010 | 2 Comment(s) | Filed in: Content Marketing, Management, Social Media

    Keeping your company blog regularly updated with quality, buyer persona-driven content can be a major differentiator between a successful and unsuccessful blog.

    But with busy schedules and already-long hours, how can you ensure that the additional responsibility of blogging is kept up with? Certainly, one option is to have multiple contributing bloggers. However, this also comes with a downside: watered-down responsibility. With multiple authors, each individual blogger can more easily become complacent, and expect others to take more responsibility for regularly writing and publishing new posts.

    So how can you combat this apathy? By appointing a Blog Editor.

    Lane Smith Perry White

    What is a Blog Editor?

    Much like the editor of a traditional media outlet, a blog editor is simply the person in charge of a blog’s content. It is his or her job to ensure that blog articles are posted on a regular basis, consistent with company messaging, and that all authors are pulling their weight with regular contributions.

    Your blog editor may or may not be a contributing blogger, but must have a strong understanding of your blog’s objectives, audience and focus. He or she should be organized, authoritative, and respected by all blog contributors and willing to step in when needed to keep the blog running smoothly.

    Editor’s Responsibilities

    • Keep a blog editorial calendar, with planned (and approved) blog post topics for each author, along with deadlines and publishing dates. 
    • Remind bloggers when their deadline is coming up.
    • If for any reason someone is unable to complete a post on time, find another blogger to fill in or swap dates.
    • Proof all blog posts prior to publishing.
    • Make sure that overall brand messaging remains consistent, ensure that no company or customer information is being shared without approval, check for grammatical errors and keyword integration, and suggest categories and tags for optimization and consistency.
    • Remember that most readers will scan a post first, so it should be laid out with paragraphs, subheadings, and bulleted or numbered lists when possible.
    • Provide a final edit after a blog post has been uploaded and saved as a draft before publishing. Check for errors one last time, and ensure that the overall formatting looks nice, without any strange text wrapping, breaks or cutoff images.
    • When a new post is published, promote it on company social networks, and encourage the blog author to do the same on their personal (professional) accounts. 
    • Keep a log of when posts are published, so that you can start to tie spikes in traffic or leads to blog activity.
    • Subscribe to your blog by both RSS and email. Make sure that feeds work properly and consistently.
    • Review blog comments, and ensure that the author responds when appropriate.
    • Help to identify opportunities outside your own blog. For example, encourage your blog authors to post comments on great articles on others’ blog posts in their area of expertise. Reach out to other industry bloggers who might make a good guest blogger on your own.
    • Keep track of the blog’s overall performance through analytics and social chatter. Let your bloggers know what kind of content is most popular and resonates best with target audiences in different ways. (For example: what kind of content is most popular on Twitter, generates the most comments, gets “liked” on Facebook, gets Stumbled or bookmarked, generates quality traffic that converts to leads, etc.)
    • Acknowledge and reward bloggers when they reach milestones. (Such as their first comment or Stumble, a major influx in traffic, a new customer that recognizes a specific blog post as their decision-maker, etc.)
    • Adjust future topics and blog content based on what your readers want to see.

    Do you have an editor for your company blog?

    How does that person keep content flowing, and keep everyone excited about the blog’s performance?

     

    Laurel Miltner is a consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm (where she also happens to be the blog editor). Follow Laurel on Twitter @laurelmackenzie.

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    Photo credit: Wikipedia

  • Client Relationship Lessons for Sweetest Day

    By Tracy DiMarino | Posted Oct 15, 2009 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Management

    Saturday is Sweetest Day, a holiday for lovers that is said to have originated in Cleveland in 1922. This year it falls just three days after mine and my boyfriend’s five year anniversary. So, being the overly analytical, somewhat hopeless-romantic girlfriend that I am, I spent the other night reliving our relationship in my mind … the highs, the lows and everything in between.

    In doing so, I came up with a few reasons why I think our relationship has survived thus far — a list that can actually apply to any relationship, including relationships with clients.

    Therefore, in honor of the holiday, here are a few of the lessons my “sweetheart” taught me and how they can help you build loyalty with your clients.

    Be Open and Honest.

    In a romantic relationship, honesty is key. If you don’t trust your partner to tell you the truth, your relationship is going to go nowhere fast. The same applies for client relationships. Your clients should trust you and you should trust your clients.

    For this to happen, you must be genuine. Make sure both parties set realistic expectations. Tell your clients when something isn’t working out, and let them know when things are going really well. If you communicate openly and honestly to them, they will be more likely to be open and honest with you.

    Listen to Their Problems and Respond When Appropriate.

    I’ll admit I like to vent my problems, especially when I’ve been having a bad day. When this happens, the best thing my boyfriend can do is listen and, when appropriate, react.

    If a client is unhappy about something, do the same. Listen to what is bothering them (even if it’s not something you caused or have control over). Then, if you can, devise a solution to fix it. Sometimes, just being there to listen is enough to calm frustrations.

    Do What You Say You’ll Do. Be Where You Say You’ll Be.

    Keep your promises and your word. There’s nothing worse than thinking someone is going to do something or be somewhere, only to be disappointed. Therefore, whether it’s a date, a business meeting, cleaning the house or submitting a proposal, follow through. Make it so people can count on you and you’ll be much more successful.

    And, if you have to cancel or won’t be able to get something completed, at least have the decency to warn the other person in a timely manner.

    Make Time, Even if You Have None

    If there’s anything I’ve learned from dating an accountant, it’s that they are the busiest people in the world from January 1 until April 15 — the dreaded tax season. However, even with long hours at work, my boyfriend makes it a point to spend time with me.

    Consider this in terms of your clients. How many times have they called you at the last minute with a project or an emergency? What was your response? I hope you made time, no matter how busy you were. For a relationship to work, you have to be there when the other person needs you.

    Admit When You’re Wrong and Apologize.

    Face it. Eventually one person in the relationship is going to make a mistake, no matter how hard you both try not to. If it’s you, own up to it. Admit you were wrong, apologize and make it up to the person. Your client, just like a significant other, will appreciate that you took responsibility for your actions.

    Go Out of Your Way to Make Them Happy.

    Show you care in your everyday actions. It’s the little things my boyfriend does that I like the most. For example: buying me my favorite beer (Miller Light), letting me borrow his sweatshirt when I’m cold or sitting through a chick flick because I just “couldn’t wait to see it.”

    Keep the little things in mind with your clients as well. Email them interesting articles, wish them a happy birthday, take them out to lunch or introduce them to like-minded people. Go above and beyond their expectations for customer service and they’re bound to be clients for life.


    So, what are your tips for maintaining strong, loyal relationships? Share with me what’s worked for you and what hasn’t.

    Tracy DiMarino is an associate consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyDiMarino.

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    Photo Credit: Bob.Fornal

  • What to do When You're Facing a Bear in the Woods ... or the Market?

    By Lyndsey | Posted Jan 12, 2009 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Business, Management

    This is a guest post by Terry Taylor, a communications professional with more than 30 years of experience in financial services. Terry holds a master's degree in economics from Case Western Reserve University, and his expertise includes investment management marketing, investor relations and financial communications.

    What options do you have when you come face to face with a bear in the woods?

    • Climb a tree?
    • Run?
    • Play dead?

    Each of these options seems sensible, except bears are excellent tree climbers. And, they can run faster than people.

    What about playing dead? Sometimes that works, right? Yes. Unless the bear thinks you’re dinner. Then it doesn’t.

    Bear Markets and Investor Relations

    Bear markets and a sagging economy produce the same kind of responses from public company CEOs:

    “Why should we talk to analysts and investors now? They’re just going to beat us up.”

    “I’ll reach out and communicate when there’s a good story.”

    “Things are too uncertain. Let’s wait ‘til we’ve addressed our problems — then we’ll talk.”

    When I started in investor relations 25 years ago, a friendly analyst said (in so many words):

    “I don’t need to see your CEO only when things are going well. I need to see him when things aren’t going well. If the CEO isn’t talking, it tells me he’s not confident. And if he’s not confident, why should I be? Plus, if I put investors into your stock but can’t explain what’s going on, I’m not happy. And I won’t forget.”

    One other thing: If you’re not talking to the investment community and your competitors are, who do you think will get a more favorable reception when the climate improves?

    What should you do in a tough market?

    Once you decide to keep your investor relations program in high gear during a down market, there are several things you can and should do:

    • Develop a Communications Plan. Define your strategy, key messages and how you intend to communicate them. And, be reasonable about your expectations.
    • Explain your Markets. You know your markets, and telling investors what’s happening provides them with valuable insight and a deeper understanding of your business and industry. 
    • Be Complete in your Explanations. Be as forthcoming as possible. It provides necessary information and conveys that you’re aware of problems and that you’re not in denial.
    • Talk with Shareholders. Keep a flow of meaningful information going out to investors — with emphasis on the word, meaningful. Cotton-candy articles don’t work. Focus on progress in meeting long-term goals and how you’re addressing problems.
    • Ask for Input from the Investment Community. The flow of information is two-way. Investors and analysts can give terrific feedback to you on what they need to know and how effectively you’re communicating. 
    • Don’t Over Promise. Be careful with what you promise and the forecasts you make. There’s no upside to being too optimistic.
    • Stay Visible. Don’t hide. Be as available to investor constituencies — or even more so — as you’ve always been. 
    • Keep Communications Consistent. Investor relations, public relations and employee communications must be on the same track. Integrated communications is always a good idea, but, in a down economy, it’s absolutely essential. 
    • Talk with Managers and Employees. In keeping with integrated communications, make sure your managers know the story and have thoughtful answers to questions. And, don’t forget your non-manager employees, especially those with client contact. 
    • Use Multiple Information Channels. Investor relations isn’t just road shows and one-on-one meetings. Consider blogs by executive management and keep your Website up to date with vital messages. Don’t forget individual shareholders either. Often, these are people in communities where you have operations and may be customers, too. Their loyal, steadfast support can be invaluable.
    • Monitor Insider Trading. The Street watches insider buys and sells. If insiders are buying, it suggests confidence in the company. If they’re selling, well, you do the math. Stay on top of what’s going on.

    There’s no guarantee that your stock price is going to instantly reflect the efforts of a proactive investor relations program. But investors notice, and it pays off over the long run.

    Back to the bear in the woods

    OK, we know that climbing trees, running away and playing dead aren’t good examples of what to do when you meet a bear in the woods.

    But, what should you do?

    I turned to an expert source, the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Website says you should:

    • Remain calm and don’t show fear.
    • Stand your ground.
    • Speak to the bear in a steady voice.
    • Stand tall to project  strength.

    Sound familiar? Pretty much the same advice for investor relations and bears.

  • What I Learned: Pour Your Heart Into It

    By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Business, Management



    PR 20/20 started out in February 2004 as a vision to evolve the PR industry. That vision, which 21 months later manifested into an upstart PR and marketing firm, was fueled by remarkable books that told inspirational stories of vision, passion and innovation. “What I Learned” is a series of blog postings about the books and experiences that continue to shape our agency, and our vision. My hope is that these insights will inspire others to pursue their dreams.


    Some men see things as they are and say “Why?” I dream things that never were, and say “Why not?” - George Bernard Shaw


    Pour Your Heart Into It by Starbuck’s Chairman Howard Schultz For this installment of What I Learned, I’ve included a selection of my favorite quotes from Pour Your Heart Into It. It’s a classic story about an entrepreneur with a vision, and the passion to make it a reality:

    • “A company can grow big without losing the passion and personality that built it, but only if it’s driven not by profits but by values and people.”
    • “If it captures your imagination, it will captivate others.”
    • “Vision is what they call it when others can’t see what you see.”
    • “Naysayers never built a great enterprise.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • “When you see the opportunity of a lifetime, move quickly.”
    • “Don’t be threatened by people smarter than you.”
    • “Everything matters.”
    • “Strong brands create a powerful, personal connection.”

  • Talking Management with Jason Fried, 37signals

    By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Business, Management, Resources, Technology



    If you aren't familiar yet with 37signals, and its founder, Jason Fried, do yourself a favor and check out this video from Crain's Chicago Business. Founded in 1999, the company designs web-based software for individuals and businesses. 37signals estimates that more than 1 million people use its products. To date, Jeff Bezos of Amazon is its only outside investor. Their products are simple and affordable, and as their Web site says, "they do everything you need and nothing you don't." Here are a few outtakes from the Crain's video, Talking Management: Leadership Lessons from Jason Fried. He offers an interesting perspective as the leader of a high-growth technology company that has become a media darling, and is sought after by investors:

    • "We're not big into increasing our headcount. We're big on increasing our influence."
    • "Interruption is the biggest enemy of productivity that there is."
    • "We have free versions of all of our products. And that's actually the best way to get someone to pay for something."
    • "We're focused on building things that provide way more value than they cost."
    • "People are always willing to pay for something they find valuable."
    • "I love the idea of building simple tools that work really well."
    • "I don't think you need to be a big company anymore to do big things."
    Screenshot from Basecamp, 37signals' project management and collaboration platform.

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