3.08 Social Media Branding Briefing - READ AND TAKE NOTES - UPLOAD HERE

Social Media Branding Briefing

Social media use presents a multitude of opportunities—and risks—for employers. As more and more companies turn to social media for business purposes, it will become imperative for employers to provide employees with clear guidelines detailing what is and what is not acceptable use. Employers, too, will need to understand the limits of using social media for hiring, promotion, and termination decisions.

Importance of Personal Branding

Many people have questioned the sudden rise of “personal branding.” Why do we care so much now and why the emphasis on the topic? While in some cases we can thank reality television for turning ordinary people into authors, product developers, spokespeople and marketers, the truth is that the concept of selling yourself has been around for decades. Personal branding is merely a way of selling yourself, and it’s never been more important, thanks to social media.

Social media has given us a platform to broadcast our personal messaging to accomplish our goals. For professional purposes, we have LinkedIn to connect with others in our industry. For sharing with friends and family, there’s Facebook. Pinterest is where we show off our passions. Instagram is for visual self-expression. Always use your personal brand as your guide whenever you are engaging on social media. Consider how to use each outlet to accomplish your goals, both personally and professionally. 

Think ahead and act consistently when uploading pictures, writing posts and reacting to others. Here are four things to keep in mind:

• Snap pictures with care.They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and nothing is truer on social media. Your pictures say volumes about your personal brand, so look closely before you upload. Keep drinks out of view and be careful about certain social situations, especially if you are trying to present a more professional personal brand. Pictures of family members and pets can certainly enhance your brand, but only when done appropriately.
• Read twice and edit before you post.Every post you write contributes to people’s perceptions of your personal brand. Always post carefully, knowing that others are reading word for word, and never write in haste. Always edit your purposefully chosen words and read through your post twice before pressing send.
• React with caution.I rarely react to others’ posts immediately, especially if there is snark involved, because I’m likely to respond emotionally. Wait a bit and think twice before you respond, even if it’s all in jest (especially if you don’t really know them). Posts are often taken out of context and can severely damage your personal brand. You never know what others will do with your response, so act without emotion.
• Remember to be consistent.One of the most important tenants of a great brand is consistency, and it’s even more important when it’s a person. It’s something I constantly remind myself of -- you should do the same.

Finding a Balance – Professional and Personal Branding

Being too personal with your business audience can impact how you're perceived in a professional context, potentially putting that relationship in jeopardy. If you're concerned about maintaining your professional brand on social media, there are ways to segment your audience and keep on engaging.

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Here are four tips to help you balance your personal and professional brand on social media:

1. Write a Professional Social Media Bio for Your Professional Accounts - The easiest way to distinguish between personal and professional social media profiles is through your bios. A Twitter bio that references your company and professional title is a clear indication that the account is a professional one. It helps to signal to your audience what you're trying to do with each account, increasing your chances of having a really engaged following.
2. Know when to get personal - Social media isn't about broadcasting news and updates, it's about engaging around topics that interest you and your followers. Including some personality in your professional profiles can do a lot of good - as long as the information positively contributes to how people see you. If you're a business owner, talk about your company culture and the employees that are contributing to your success. Distinguish yourself from other professionals in your industry by sharing your personal interests or skills. As content strategist Jay Baer explained Links to an external site., "When tweeting or blogging or status updating about your personal life, it should be something that actually reveals a dimension of your life, or character, or belief system." A CEO that also competes in triathlons shouldn't be afraid to talk about that, as it might reveal his determination, a commitment to fitness, a drive that continues outside of the business environment. Getting personal is valuable when you're engaging with followers. That said, don't bog down professional discussions and Twitter chats with personal anecdotes. Take stock of the tone of the discussion and respond appropriately.
3. Fix your privacy settings - Maintaining a personal brand means keeping on top of your privacy settings. The goal is not to stop sharing personal stories or photos, but simply to silo the very personal items within a specific circle of social contacts. Look at the types of posts you share on Facebook, from photos to status updates. Consider whether you don't want them to be viewed by any of your contacts-perhaps people you work with or clients you may have added to Facebook. Then go through your Facebook privacy settings Links to an external site.and limit these types of posts to the audience of your choice. Other networks allow you to have accounts blocked from public view. Instagram lets you choose who can see your photos while Pinterest has secret boards, giving you the freedom to use these networks in private. By contrast, Twitter is a default public network - don't ever forget that. It's worth noting that if you don't want the majority of your posts to be seen by certain contacts, it might be the time to remove them from Facebook or other social networks altogether. If there's no interaction or engagement taking place on the social network, you likely will not be missed by them either.
4. Know your audience - Distinguishing between your personal and professional brand isn't just about you; it's about knowing your audience. If your Facebook is very private and confined to close friends and family, you may be able to air grievances or talk politics. But public profiles that can be searched and viewed by employers or clients are not the place to discuss sensitive subjects. There are lots of opinions we may be inclined to express on social media. But maintaining a professional brand on social media means staying positive and stick to topics of interest to your professional audience. Not every topic is right for every social network and realizing that is an essential part of successfully using social media to advance your career and business.

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Workplace Social Media Challenges

• Employees’ Misuse of Social Media - Employees may intentionally or inadvertently use social media—whether on-the-job or at home—in a way that poses risks for their employers. While at work, employers may suffer because employees spend too much time on social networking sites, instant messaging with friends, or just surfing the internet. Though these activities may decrease productivity, they may not necessarily result in any additional harm. When employees use social media, however, to harass co-workers, criticize the company or its clients, reveal confidential information, endorse products or services without proper disclosure, or engage in criminal conduct, employers face far greater risks. It is important to keep in mind that employees often create these types of problems not because they are acting maliciously, but instead because they are acting—or posting—without thinking.

• Monitoring and Regulating Employees’ Social Media Use - Considering the significant potential liability and other risks employers face from employees’ social media use, how far can employers go in monitoring these communications? Although the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures by the government, it does not apply to private sector employers. While private sector employees have no inherent constitutional right to privacy, employer conduct is limited by common-law principles and federal and state privacy laws. Whether employees are communicating with friends outside the company or with co-workers and business partners regarding work-related projects, employers should have clear policies regarding the use of social media both in and outside the workplace. Employees—who may not realize they can expose employers to risk by posting information on blogs and private social networking sites during work or non-work hours—should be informed of potential risks and aware of the employer’s expectations.

• Can employers base hiring decisions on information obtained from social networking sites or blogs? - Employers are increasingly turning to social media for information about job applicants. So long as the employer does not violate state or federal discrimination laws, nothing currently prohibits an employment decision based on information an applicant places in the public domain. Nevertheless, employers should balance the need to obtain information against the risks associated with acting on such information if it reveals an applicant’s protected characteristics. When using social media to vet job candidates, an employer may inadvertently become aware of an applicant’s protected characteristics, such as race, age, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, and even genetic information protected under federal law. Some states also prohibit discrimination on account of sexual orientation, political affiliation, and off-duty conduct. If the employer decides not to hire the applicant, he or she could sue the employer, alleging that the decision was discriminatory. This is the precise reason many employers have stopped requiring applicants to submit certain information with their resume or application; searching social networking sites may reveal such information and open the employer to the very risk it tried to avoid.