9.8 SOCIAL MEDIA

sock puppets

A fake online persona created to promote a particular point of view, often in praise of a firm, product, or individual. Be aware that the use of undisclosed relationships in endorsements is a violation of US Federal Trade Commission rules.

coordination and supervision

Also note that while SMARTs (social media teams) provide leadership, support, and guidance, they don't necessarily drive all efforts. GM's social media team includes representatives from all the major brands. The idea is that employees in the divisions are still the best to engage online once they've been trained and given operational guardrails. Says GM's social media chief, "I can't go in to Chevrolet and tell them 'I know your story better than you do, let me tell it on the Web.'" Similarly, the roughly fifty Starbucks "Idea Partners" who participate in MyStarbucksIdea are specialists. Part of their job is to manage the company's social media. In this way, conversations about the Starbucks card are handled by card team experts, and merchandise dialogue has a product specialist who knows that business best. Many firms find that the social media team is key for (2) (e.g., ensuring that different divisions don't overload consumers with too much or inconsistent contact), but the dynamics of specific engagement still belong with the folks who know products, services, and customers best.

social media and response team

As these incidents show, social media will impact a firm whether it chooses to engage online or not. An awareness of the power of social media can shape customer support engagement and crisis response, and strong corporate policies on social media use might have given the employees a heads-up on the impact of their actions. Given the power of social media, it's time for all firms to get SMART _________________A group tasked with creating policies and providing support, training, guidance, and development expertise for and monitoring of a firm's social media efforts., creating a social media awareness and response team. While one size doesn't fit all, this section details key issues behind SMART capabilities, including creating the social media team, establishing firmwide policies, monitoring activity inside and outside the firm, establishing the social media presence, and managing social media engagement and response.

social media awareness and response team

Customer conversations are happening and employees are using social media. Even firms that aren't planning on creating a social media presence need to professionalize the social media function in their firm (consider this a _________________________________________, or SMART).

astroturfing

Engineering the posting of positive comments and reviews of a firm's product and services (or negative ones of a firm's competitors). Many ratings sites will penalize firms that offer incentives for positive feedback posts.

Uber, CEO

Even billionaire founders need to pay attention. A video captured by a dash cam and posted by an Uber driver showed ______ founder (and ______ at the time) Travis Kalanick berating the driver who took issue with some of the firm's recent changes. Shortly after the incident, Kalanick wrote an apology letter to his staff, stating he was "embarrassed" by his behavior, that he must "grow-up," and that "This is the first time I've been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it." The incident only strengthened the perception that Kalanick's personality was unsuited to lead the category defining firm, and within months he was out as CEO.

gaffes, Adobe

Even though ________ can be scary, well-trained employees engaging online can prove to be a valuable asset. Adobe realized that the collective reach of the firm's employees on LinkedIn was more than seven times greater than those connected with Adobe brand pages, plus 91 percent of the engagements employees were having regarding Adobe on LinkedIn were with people who weren't connecting with the firm's brand pages. Dispatching employees to indiscriminately spam contacts with firm propaganda is not the approach to take. But Adobe trains employees on social judgment, assessing sample social media conversations, and helping employees understand best approaches in situations where online advocacy makes sense. If you believe in a firm, its products, and its benefits, this can be natural, and persuasive.

Security training

Firms must train employees and update their knowledge as technologies, effective use, and threats emerge. __________ __________ is a vital component of establishing social media policy. Penalties for violation should be clear and backed by enforcement.

key corporate function,

Firms need to treat social media engagement as a _____ _____________ ___________ with clear and recognizable leadership within the organization. Social media is no longer an ad hoc side job or a task delegated to an intern. When McDonald's named its first social media chief, the company announced that it was important to have someone "dedicated 100 percent of the time, rather than someone who's got a day job on top of a day job." Firms without social media baked into employee job functions often find that their online efforts are started with enthusiasm, only to suffer under a lack of oversight and follow-through. One hotel operator found franchisees were quick to create Facebook pages, but many rarely monitored them. Customers later notified the firm that unmonitored hotel Facebook pages contained offensive messages—a racist rant on one, paternity claims against an employee on another.

Kenneth Cole

Followers of _____________ ________, founder, chairman, and chief creative officer of the eponymous fashion label, know when he has tweeted via the corp—Cole signs these tweets with his initials KC. But it looks like KC could have used a bit of SMART training when he offered up a meant-to-be-lighthearted quip comparing Egypt's historic Mubarak-ousting protests (where several citizens were killed and injured) to enthusiasm for his firm's "new spring collection." Although the tweet was quickly deleted, screenshots (see Figure 9.10) linger forever, and the media widely reported on the big brand's insensitive gaffe.

YouTube

In an age where a generation has grown up posting shoot-from-the-hip status updates and _________ is seen as a fame vehicle for those willing to perform sensational acts, establishing corporate policies and setting employee expectations are imperative for all organizations. The employees who don't understand the impact of social media on the firm can do serious damage to their employers and their careers.

embassy

In the context of social media, an established online presence where customers can reach and interact with the firm. An effective embassy approach uses a consistent firm name in all its social media properties.

short, simple, and clear, BestBuy, IBM

Many experts suggest that a good social media policy needs to be three things: "______, _________, ____________" Fortunately, most firms don't have to reinvent the wheel. Several firms, including ______ _______, _____, Intel, The American Red Cross, and Australian telecom giant Telstra, have made their social media policies public.

online reputation management

Many tools exist for monitoring social media mentions of an organization, brands, competitors, and executives. Google Alerts, Twitter search, TweetDeck, Twitrratr, bit.ly, Facebook, and Foursquare all provide free tools that firms can leverage. For-fee tools and services are available as part of the ________ __________ _______ industry (and consultants in this space can also provide advice on improving a firm's online image and engagement).

representation, responsibility, and respect Federal Trade Commission

Most guidelines emphasize the "three Rs": Representation. Employees need clear and explicit guidelines on expectations for social media engagement. Are they empowered to speak on behalf of the firm? If they are, it is critical that employees transparently disclose this to avoid legal action. US rules require disclosure of relationships that may influence online testimonial or endorsement. On top of this, many industries have additional compliance requirements (e.g., governing privacy in the health and insurance fields, retention of correspondence and disclosure for financial services firms). Firms may also want to provide guidelines on initiating and conducting dialogue, when to respond online, and how to escalate issues within the organization. Responsibility. Employees need to take responsibility for their online actions. Firms must set explicit expectations for disclosure, confidentiality and security, and provide examples of engagement done right, as well as what is unacceptable. An effective social voice is based on trust, so accuracy, transparency, and accountability must be emphasized. Consequences for violations should be clear. Respect. Canadian communications firm Mitel reminds employees that respect includes the firm, its customers, and its competitors. Best Buy's policy explicitly states participants must "honor our differences" and "act ethically and responsibly." Many employees can use the reminder. Sure customer service is a tough task and every rep has a story about an unreasonable client. But there's a difference between letting off steam around the water cooler and venting online. Virgin Atlantic fired thirteen of the airline's staffers after they posted passenger insults and inappropriate inside jokes on Facebook.

firm dialogue; develop and communicate policy; create and share institutional knowledge; provide training, guidance, and suggestions; offer a place to escalate issues in the event of a crisis or opportunity; and catch conflicts that might arise if different divisions engage without coordination.

Organizations with a clearly established leadership role for social media can help create consistency in _____________...

reputation

Policies also need to have teeth. Remember, a fourth "R" is at stake—________ (both the firm's and the employee's). Violators should know the consequences of breaking firm rules, and policies should be backed by action. Best Buy's policy simply states, "Just in case you are forgetful or ignore the guidelines above, here's what could happen. You could get fired (and it's embarrassing to lose your job for something that's so easily avoided)."

ambulance chasing trap

Several firms have ended up with social media egg on their faces after attempting to capitalize on trending topics and major news events. Some refer to commercial communication linked to tragic events as the social media "____________ ________ ________." Memorials for 9/11, Superstorm Sandy, Pearl Harbor Day, and The Boston Marathon bombing are just a few examples that have garnered public ridicule and made brands appear callous, opportunistic, and insensitive. At a South by Southwest panel on social media crises, reporter Neal Mann of The Wall Street Journal stated flat-out that many journalists are on alert to "identify and exploit" gaffes committed in the name of organizations. The schadenfreude also offers compelling coverage as a teachable moment, warning professionals what not to do. As Professor Jerry Kane of Boston College states, "Just because a topic is trending does not mean it's necessarily a good opportunity to promote a brand."

interdisciplinary

Social media is an ________________ practice, and the team should include professionals experienced in technology, marketing, PR, customer service, legal, and human resources.

representation, responsibility, and respect.

Social media policies revolve around "three Rs": ______________ ________________ _______________ Many firms have posted their policies online so it can be easy for a firm to assemble examples of best practice.

the megaphone to send out messages from the firm, the magnet to attract inbound communication, and monitoring and mediation

Social media provides "four Ms" of engagement: —paying attention to what's happening online and selectively engage conversations when appropriate. Engagement can be public or private.

regional operations

Some firms have more complex social media management challenges. Consider hotels and restaurants where outlets are owned and operated by franchisees rather than the firm. McDonald's social media team provides additional guidance so that _____________ ________________ can create, for example, a Twitter handle (e.g., @mcdonalds_cincy) that handles a promotion in Cincinnati that might not run in other regions. A social media team can provide coordination while giving up the necessary control. Without this kind of coordination, customer communication can quickly become a mess.

embassy

The _________ approach to social media has firms establish their online presence through consistently named areas within popular services (e.g., facebook.com/starbucks, twitter.com/starbucks, youtube.com/starbucks). Firms can also create their own branded social media sites using tools such as Salesforce.com's "Ideas" platform.

online reputation management

The process of tracking and responding to online mentions of a product, organization, or individual. Services supporting online reputation management range from free Google Alerts to more sophisticated services that blend computer-based and human monitoring of multiple media channels.

SMART

The social media awareness and response team. A group tasked with creating policies and providing support, training, guidance, and development expertise for and monitoring of a firm's social media efforts.

intranet-delivered video course

Training is also a critical part of the SMART mandate. GM offers an __________________ ________ ________ introducing newbies to the basics of social media and to firm policies and expectations. GM also trains employees to become "social media proselytizers and teachers." GM hopes this approach enables experts to interact directly with customers and partners, allowing the firm to offer authentic and knowledgeable voices online.

phishing, virus distribution

Training should also cover information security and potential threats. Social media has become a magnet for (2), and other nefarious online activity. Over one-third of social networking users claim to have been sent malware via social networking sites (see Chapter 17 "Information Security: Barbarians at the Gateway (and Just About Everywhere Else)"). The social media team will need to monitor threats and spread the word on how employees can surf safe and surf smart.

job descriptions

While firms are building social media responsibility into ____ ________________, also recognize that social media is a team sport that requires input from staffers throughout an organization. The social media team needs support from public relations, marketing, customer support, HR, legal, IT, and other groups, all while acknowledging that what's happening in the social media space is distinct from traditional roles in these disciplines. The team will hone unique skills in technology, analytics, and design, as well as skills for using social media for online conversations, listening, trust building, outreach, engagement, and response. As an example of the interdisciplinary nature of social media practice, consider that the social media team at Starbucks (regarded by some as the best in the business) is organized under the interdisciplinary "vice president of brand, content, and online."

sock puppets, FTC

While tempting, creating _________ ___________ to astroturf social media with praise posts violates FTC rules and can result in prosecution. Many users who thought their efforts were anonymous have been embarrassingly exposed and penalized. Customers are also using social media to expose firm dishonesty.

Engagement

____________ is often more art than science, and managers can learn a lot by paying attention to the experiences of others. Firms should have clear rules for engagement and escalation when positive or negative issues are worthy of attention.