When leveraged well, social media can serve as a potent tool. It allows a manager to gain insight into competitors, the market, buyers and their needs, trends and to discover opportunities to reach new markets. When well leveraged, social media can also provide insight into new services and the development of new and improved products.
Other benefits of social media include:
- Providing answers about products and services to prospects
- Making headway with desired prospects by gaining introductions and connecting virtually
- Showcasing the business and refining the brand
- Highlighting glowing reviews from existing customers
While social media offers organizations many advantages, like anything else, it does have a dark side. Trolls, troublemakers, and naysayers engage in negative, potentially harmful behavior that can damage morale and cause mental fatigue.
So, how can businesses stake their claim in the benefits of social media while avoiding the pitfalls?
Abide by a Concrete Social Media Policy
Minimizing negative repercussions, or better yet preventing them altogether, starts with a clearly laid out social media policy. The best policies are detailed regarding trolls, bullying, profanity, negative behaviors, harassment, and terms of service violations. Establishing a social media policy is just the first step. It must be enforced, or it will do little good.
Empower Social Media Managers and Moderators
The individuals hired to oversee an organization’s social media platforms must have the power to enforce the stipulations outlined in the social media policy. Ignoring bad behavior will not make it go away. In fact, doing so can land a business in hot water.
Following through on regulations in the policy is essential. Phased responses: such as hiding a comment first and then blocking the user if they attempt to engage in harmful behavior a second time, are an excellent way to give users a warning and a chance to shape up.
Why? Not every type of behavior calls for an immediate user ban. That said, keeping an eye on one-time violators is essential. Moderators should screenshot all interactions with these users to ensure the business has a record of everything that occurred. And the policy should make it clear what constitutes a warning and how many warnings merit a ban.
Put Wellness First
Employers need to look out for the well-being of their social media moderators and managers. These individuals are on the front lines of the emotional warfare sometimes played out on social media platforms.
For this reason, organizations must pay careful attention to warning signs such as calling in sick frequently, delaying project completion, a gloomy demeanor and worsening morale overall. If employers notice any of these red flags, they must act immediately to rectify the issue. Better yet, they should take precautions to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Great ways to ease the pressure on social media moderators and managers include the following:
- Give them breaks from the time they spend on platforms
- Lett them trade jobs for a day with a co-worker who has a different role
- Give them access to affordable counseling
- Make, and keep social media fun with contests, memes, GIFs, jokes and being playful in general
The many benefits of social media far outweigh the drawbacks. When companies take proactive steps to protect their employees against the potential damage the bad actors of social media can cause, they will maximize the upside while avoiding the downside.
Uncertain times call for creative thinking. Contact Gavel International to be inspired with solutions that connect and engage your people.
