Unlocking Social Media Security & Privacy Policies

The rise of social media has given families and friends the ability to connect with each other across the world, but it has also exposed people to compromising situations including robbery, identity thief and other security issues. To help Internet users understand the best practices of social media use and better protect themselves, let’s summarize a few concepts:

Social media networks

• These are online channels that enable people to connect with others via a status, a post, image, video, etc.

Social media policy

• A written document that outlines the expectations of employees when it comes to using social media channels 

Social media security

• Understanding the threats and risk associated with social media and learning how to best optimize your social media channels

Take a look at this video to learn about social media security and privacy.

Now that we are familiar with these terms, let’s dive into some key items to consider when using social media.

Fix privacy settings

• Make sure to check the privacy settings for every social media site you use. If you’re profile is public, anyone can view it. Make sure to set your settings so only your friends or followers can view information that is on your profile.

You are what you post 

• Once you post to social media, it’s out there for anyone to view. Refrain from discussing anything conversional including topics that are racist, offensive, or even illegal. Remember: Even if your privacy settings are set to “friends only”, someone can view the post if a friend likes, comments or shares that post.

Don’t be too specific

• Be careful about the types of information you post in a status update. Letting people know you are traveling can make you become the victim of a robbery. Also, including information like your phone number or mailing address can make you become the victim of identify thief. 

Secure your password information 

• Make sure your password is not easy to hack. Using the name of a pet or family is very easy for someone to steal especially if you post photos of them.

After viewing the official U.S. government social networking training module, I have become much more aware of what I post. Before, I never thought twice about checking in to a restaurant or posting real-time updates as I travel. Now, I will be more cautious about the types of items I post and the people I decided to add on social media sites.    

If you're still not convinced that social media poses risks, view this article to learn about a recent security breach with social media site Snapchat.

Also check out this infographic to learn how to protect your home from the risks associated with social media.

Resource:

United States of America Department of Defense (n.d.). Social Networking V1.0. Retrieved from http://iase.disa.mil/eta/sns_v1/sn/launchPage.htm

The Importance of Connecting with Customers Through Online Forums

With the invention of the Internet, consumers have the power to connect and engage with others who share similar interests whether it is a hobby, profession, etc. While many businesses use tracking tools to monitor brand conversations on important social media channels like Facebook and Twitter, few are monitoring and participating in online forums that relate to the business.

As David Scott mentions in The New Rules of Marketing & PR, “ignoring forums can be hazardous to your brand, while participating as a member allows you to reap rewards
(Scott, 2013, p.61).

Here are a few reasons why companies NEED to be monitoring online forums:

• Consumers may address ongoing problems with a specific product/service that the company may not be aware of
• It can increase brand attitude. “Just having a presence on the blogs, forums, and chat rooms that your customers frequent shows that you care about the people who spend money with your organization” (Scott, 2013, p.64).
• You can drive traffic to your site if you actively participate on the page (Vermeren, 2013).

Still not convinced? Let’s give a real example of how monitoring forums helped one retailer avoid a disaster. When Nikon introduced a new digital camera model, they not only offered it at high-end camera stores, but they decided to also launch it at large electronic stores like Circuit City and Best Buy. Since this was during the holiday season, the demand exceeded the supply.

This clearly created a poor user experience for consumers. As to be expected, consumers went online to Nikon and digital photography forums to complain about the product. “The forums were active with lots of people complaining that they couldn't get the camera from their normal long-term suppliers but that the big box stores had them” (Scott, 2013, p.64). 

One retailer in particular, B&H, was involved in the crisis, as they had to cancel orders from consumers because of the lack of supply. People started mentioning B&H specifically offering additional complaints about the problem. Since a respected B&H employee was active in the forum, they immediately stepped in and described the Nikon issue while offering their apologies about the problem.

“By acknowledging the issue, one guy with one post changed the whole tone of the thread and the reputation of B&H. After that, the posts changed to become incredibly positive” (Scott, 2013, p.66).

Yes, B&H could not make the problem go away, but by addressing the issue, they were able to change the attitude of the consumers and eliminate any future negative comments about the company.

For more insights on the importance of monitoring online forums, watch this video below.

Sources:

Vermeren, I. (2013, October 25). Monitoring Forums: Why Should You Care? Retrieved February 11, 2014, from http://www.brandwatch.com/2013/10/how-to-leverage-a-first-mover-advantage-by-tracking-forums

Scott, David Meerman (2013, June 19). The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly (p. 61, 64 and 66). Wiley.

Strategic Communications in 2014

Rule of thumb for strategic communications

Communication is an incredibly important component for any successful company’s strategy as reiterated by Argenti, Howell and Beck in The Strategic Communication Imperative. I agree 100% with this notion. In order to achieve an effective communication plan, companies must follow these rules:

• CEO must agree with this notion and have an understanding of the importance of communication in driving strategy 
• Must work as one instead of operating as soiled business units 
• Must be honest and straightforward with the public 
• Must understand which messages are relevant for each channel (Argenti, 2005). 

How to apply strategic communications in your IMC plan

How can a company apply this strategy to marketing, advertising, and social media? The key, as mentioned above, is to understand which messages are relevant for each specific channel and then learn how to integrate those messages across channels in order to form one cohesive story for your company. 

For example, Budweiser is a great example of an authentic company that never shies away from its traditional message while still keeping up with the times. They created a new strategy this year called “The Perfect Beer for Whatever Happens” to target Millennials.

As usual, they ran a few ads during the Super Bowl since beer and football compliment each other. One of the commercials was a heart-warming tale called “Puppy Love” which followed the journey of a dog and its separation from the iconic Budweiser Clydesdale (Schultz, 2014). This commercial was able to integrate this message across social media in various ways. It flashed the clever hashtag #bestbuds at the end of the commercial prompting people to tweet about the company. They also posted the video on YouTube, and two days after the Super Bowl, the commercial already has over 42 million views. On Facebook, they have encouraged people to post photos of their #bestbud, engaging consumers while still promoting their tag line.

How social media can play a role in an organization’s overall strategy

As Qualman mentioned in Socialnomics, “The more ingrained social media was within a company, the closer it came to an ideal structure— one in which virtually the entire company was involved; yet it was organized communication” (Qualman, 2012, p.267). For evolved companies, social media can be an amazing tool to gather feedback from consumers, have two-way conversations, launch new campaigns and address controversial issues.

For example, Starbucks uses a blog called Mystarbucksidea.com to understand what consumers want to see and get free ideas from consumers. Imagine that? They can use this program to enhance other elements of their IMC campaign. They share the ideas across other social sites like Facebook and Twitter, and they have a mobile app and in-store displays that feature ongoing promotions. Starbucks likes to position itself as a company that cares about what people think, and they do an excellent job at showing this strategy through contests, loyalty programs, an idea blog and more (Solomon, 2013). 

Sources: 

Argenti, P., Howell, R., & Beck, K (2005). The Strategic Communication Imperative. Retried from MIT Sloan Management Review website: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~opa/communicators/fall08/reading/Sloan_MIT_Strat_Comm_Imp.pdf

Schultz, E. (2014, January 15). A-B InBev's Super Bowl Plans Include New Bud Light Tagline. Retrieved February 4, 2014, from http://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/a-b-inbev-s-super-bowl-plans-include-bud-light-tagline/291081/ 

Solomon, M. (2013, December 12). Consulting Starbucks: How To Set Your 2014 Customer Experience And Corporate Culture Goals. Retrieved February 4, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2013/12/31/a-customer-service-goal-for-2014-courtesy-of-starbucks 

Qualman, Erik (2012-11-09). Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business (p. 267). Wiley. Kindle Edition.