Today's headlines are filled with the mistakes people make every day. News outlets often pull their human interest pieces from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or the latest social media platform. Do you have a policy in place to protect your business from the damage a viral image, comment, or video can cause? Here is why your Minneapolis business lawyer encourages you to take this vital step.
Small or Large: Your Business Needs Social Media
As printed media continues to disappear, in order to maintain a public presence in our tech-savvy world your business needs to have a Facebook page or Twitter account where you can keep in touch with your customer base. How you use that social media page will leave a lasting impression on how your brand is perceived by the public, either a positive or negative one.
Your Employees Need the Right Tools to Tweet Responsibly
Your employees probably mean well when snapping pics of company outings and their co-workers celebrating a new contract. However, they may also think that posting embarrassing images, controversial policies, and personal information of clients is totally acceptable. Without proper training, your business can be opened up to a wide range of liabilities. A social media policy helps your business build a responsible filter and limits your liabilities and risks.
Supporting Good Social Media Behavior Builds a Better Workplace
The real challenge when you prohibit all social media use, your company can be perceived as autocratic, old-fashioned, and insensitive. Employees who are forbidden from using their smartphones in reasonable circumstances can resent the overt control. Instead of building a positive workplace environment, you might start seeing negative reviews pop up on hiring websites. Without ever tweeting out a reckless statement, your company is still suffering from its mismanagement of social media.
This is why your small business legal services urge you to craft a social media policy. The goal is to support your staff while achieving the mission of your business together.
A Social Media Policy Prevents Mistakes that Can Harm Your Reputation
When you sit down with your legal advisor to craft a social media policy and include it in your onboarding process, your business builds a supportive culture that is in touch with modern values. At the same time, clear rules are established that help your people make better decisions with faced with temptation. Should somebody decide to violate these guidelines, your business will be able to enforce your policies through your disciplinary process.
If you would like to learn more about what aspects are addressed in a good social media policy crafted by a reputable business law firm, contact Betsy Larson Law and set up an appointment today.