Social media can be a bit tricky to handle, and that’s especially true for businesses and organizations. There are particular aspects that apply to the safety and security of businesses that have to be taken into account when posting on social media. These mistakes can end up costing the business money and time if teams in charge of those social media accounts aren’t careful.
However, if done right, social media is a great tool for any business. Here digital experts from Jatapp explain the ways you can manage the privacy and security of your business and still engage in conversations with your customers and maintain a presence online.
Social Media Issues and Professional Accounts
From copyright laws to being used as evidence in a court case to married business owners who have decided to end their marriage, there are quite a few ways social media can work against you in the business world if you aren’t careful about the content you post online. Even if it’s unintentional, social media posts are seen as documentation and are seen as admissible in court ds videos.
It’s easy for tempers to flare throughout a divorce, but the anger can be escalated if there’s a business at stake. Heightened stress can easily lead to us posting thoughts or feelings we don’t really mean and are just caught up in the heat of the moment. Because social media posts are now allowed to be used in a court of law, you should not only be careful what you post for professional reasons, you have to be careful for legal reasons as well.
Another common issue businesses come across has to do with copyright laws
Content created for business blogs and company websites often uses pictures to complement written content, but finding the content you’re legally allowed to use can be difficult to find. Many seem to think that most images they find online are available to use for their own purposes but that’s simply not the case.
These photos belong to someone and without express permission, you can’t use them on your site. Because these photos are their property they can ask you to remove the photo or they can even sue your place of business for any profits you may have made while the photo was displayed on your site.
Disclosure is another issue many companies run into
If a business pays you to promote their service or product, there are laws that say you have to disclose that partnership. It’s an easy thing to forget to do. This is especially true if it’s a product or service you genuinely like, so talking about it might come naturally to you.
On the other hand, you’re a business or organization paying the influencer, you want to make sure your product or service is properly and truthfully promoted. Disclosure allows potential clients to see that while, yes, you are paying the influencer to promote your product, but it also lets them know your business is being upfront and honest.
As a business, you want to avoid talking about anything on social media that could cause potential clients to see your business in a bad light. Stay away from personal topics as this can lead to security issues and don’t post any information about any legal proceedings your business might be involved in. There are plenty of examples of businesses making huge blunders through their social media and, unfortunately, these sorts of mistakes often seem to outshine the brand itself.
Consider Adidas. For the most part, Adidas has always been a fairly noncontroversial brand of athletic clothing and shoes. That is, until the 2013 Boston Marathon, when two bombs went off during the race killing three people and injuring many more. Whoever was in charge of the company’s newsletter must have forgotten what they put as the subject line of the email that went out to the runners. After the marathon, several runners received an email saying, “Congratulations! You survived the Boston Marathon!”
The good news is that these are mistakes you can avoid!
Tips for Using Social Media as a Business
One of the biggest advantages you can have on your side is a team dedicated solely to your social media and online marketing. This helps cut down on the number of people who have access to the accounts which, in turn, leads to less confusion on who might be posting what. Plus, it gives you a few different sets of eyes to look at what your business is considering posting on its accounts. This allows others on the team to give their opinion and will help you avoid any questionable messages that might seem okay to one person, but not to others.
To avoid copyright issues with images, there are plenty of sites available that offer images that are categorized as free to use. Sites like Pexels, Unsplash, and Pixabay have large libraries of photos for anyone to use and you don’t run the risk of violating copyright laws when you get images from sites like these. Plus, these sites also offer premade links to the photographer’s work if you want to credit the authors on your site.
Finally, you want to keep your employees’ best interests in mind. Social media has been proven to have various health consequences for those who spend too much time online, and your social media team is no exception. From depression and anxiety to physical health concerns, social media is occasionally the culprit. Make sure you’re giving your team appropriate time away from the screen to work on other things as well as reminding all employees to keep their personal areas clean. Bacteria can easily find its way onto cellphones, keyboards, and screens and that can result in sick employees and time away from work. A healthy workplace has happier employees.
Regardless of how you choose to handle the safety of social media use from your business profile, take a look at the overall picture and goal of your organization. Keeping this in mind will help keep things running smoothly and your business at the top of its game.