Consistent Social Media Housekeeping Avoids the Backlash

Employee engagement on social media is engaging your most valuable stakeholder. Yet, the last time I checked, people do not read minds. We cannot expect employees to hit the post button on social media without guidelines. The entrance to our rural Pennsylvania township building has a sign which speaks loudly to social media managers in this area. The sign reads, “Housekeeping is the rule, not the exception. It is an everyday experience.” A social media policy is good housekeeping, and it must be the rule, not the exception. Adhering to a proactive and engaging set of guidelines creates an atmosphere of unified social media purpose for employees, managers, and employers as an everyday experience.

Julie Wilson published an article titled, “As Social Media Posts Surface and Cause Backlash, Businesses Rethinking Policies for Employees.” In her article, she discusses the tremendous scrutiny our current culture puts on businesses and those who work for the business. This scrutiny is not limited to companies; this past week, our public school superintendent posted a parent update on schools’ opening during a pandemic. The post received comments filled with opinions and vile hatred concerning students wearing masks in the hallways. One such comment was posted by a father whose mother is a long-time secretary for the schools. I was embarrassed for her and her son.

In Mrs. Wilson’s article, she interviews the director of Entrepreneurship at North Caroline Central University, Dr. Henry McKoy, who reveals that the right to free speech only applies to the federal government. Dr. McKoy states, “First amendment right really only focuses on the government. The government can’t censor you from saying certain things, but a private company has the right association.”[1] Dr. McKoy makes three housekeeping suggestions a company or business owner can institute, which foster’s a proactive experience.

         1. State upfront what the social media policy is and explain why the standard is what it is.

         2. Provide examples of what is and what is not acceptable.

         3. Provide ongoing social media training for not only new hires but for current employees.

My Friends, the best way to avoid a fight is not to be there when it starts. Avoiding legal risk is work and is time-consuming, but with the dedicated investment, a business can be better prepared for the fight and hopefully prevent it altogether. Good housekeeping in social media is to have an up-to-date and working social media policy, with how-to examples on how to respond, which is available to every employee in the employee handbook. Good housekeeping is referencing emails, memos, and newsletters with regularity.

Our most valuable stakeholders are our employees. Most employees do not know how to respond because they have not been taught how to respond. Good housekeeping in social media is attainable and can be taught. Social media managers need to have the sign on the door as a reminder, “Housekeeping is the rule, not the exception. It is an everyday experience.” Then create the desired experience by proactively keeping house.

Keep up the great work. Communicate to be understood. 

Remember, I love ya. Don

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[1] Julie Wilson, As social media posts surface and cause backlash, businesses rethink policies for employees. ABC 11 Eyewitness News, Durham, NC. June 24, 2020. https://abc11.com/durham-nc-social-media-marketing-what%20--is/6263724/ Accessed 7/24/20.

Social Access in Social Listening and Social Privacy

We have all seen the classic movie plot in which robots rise against humanity in movies such as “Terminator,” “Battlestar Galactica,” and, most recently, CBS All-Access “Start Trek: Picard.” Despite these movie fears, artificial intelligence (AI) uses are growing every year. SoftBank Robotics has created the social robot “Pepper.” Pepper’s design is to understand human emotional displays and carry simple conversations.[1] More advanced artificial intelligence is used for therapies and as hospital companions. The society welcomes basic to complex social listening devices in our homes to increase the ease in life and social access to more exceptional products. Smartphones, smartwatches, Amazon Echo, and Google Alexa, along with cookies and algorithms on our digital devices, are tracking and collecting data under the umbrella of providing a greater experience for the user.

The dichotomy in creating a better experience is the transformation of the user from being a client to becoming the product. The data mined in a social setting reveals the personal privacy of the user and potential product needs. Merriam-Webster defines social as “the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society.” The same defines privacy as “set-apart from observation and freedom from unauthorized intrusion.”[2]  The modern balancing act of digital interaction and freedom from unauthorized intrusion is the user’s digital social and private road. Yet, the journey is manageable with three basic guides of asking questions of the offering, be wholistic in the situational context, and consider the medium in which the information is being communicated.

Asking questions is excellent listening skills. Asking questions of the AI is to seek clarification or seeking elaboration. Asking questions includes investigative work before purchasing the digital device. The user and the marketer must interact with apps, such as Ghostly, to track cookies on computers and mobile devices. Always remember the two ears to one brain is a great ratio. In a world filled with information and data, listen twice as much as you act.

The second guide includes a wholistic awareness of the context in which we live. Simply, a complete view of the AI big picture. Be aware of the devices within your environment. As marketers, we need to be mindful of laws and regulations which protect and provide the user. The big picture is to be aware of AI’s ability to remove excessive information for the user and collect information to be stored, for the marketer. As David Priest explains, The marketer’s big picture view will embrace the data minimization principle where “only relevant and essential data should be processed and collected. Not only does enacting this principle ensure ethical use of data by the company, but it also exposes less customer data to potential privacy breaches.”[3] 

The third guide is to consider the medium in which the information is communicated. AI will collect the data, but is it truly the information you wish to collect or need to use? Compared to the one-on-one approach of yesteryear, modern digital mediated communication is the many-speaking-to-many. AI provides that information to the product creators and relates the information to companies and marketers to offer a greater experience. Thus, digital information posted online can be used in a public setting. This third guide is to carefully consider the medium to establish a conduit for restricting unauthorized intrusion. Traditional ethical rules apply online as they do face-to-face. The user and the marketer should assume everything put online will become public and influence public perception. Simply put, turn the AI off, block cookies, and strategically consider the medium you are communicating.

It is possible to summarize the three guides with “Ask, Look, and Consider.” Keeping in mind that social is interaction and privacy is freedom from authorized intrusion. The three guides of asking, looking, and considering provide the user with social access in a world of digital social listening while maintaining social privacy. The three guides provide the marketer with tools of balance. Artificial Intelligence is part of our new normal and can be managed and balanced between social and private. Just don’t let the robots rise and take over the world.

It is a great and exciting time for online information. Keep at it and you know I love ya, Don

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[1] Autumn Edwards, Chad Edwards, Shawn T. Wahl, Scott A Myers. The Communication Age: Connecting and Engaging, 3ed. SAGE. 2020. pg. 110

[2] Merriam-Webster, Social & Privacy. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/privacy Accessed 7/18/20.

[3] David Priest. Smart Home Developers Raise Concerns About Alexa and Google Assistant Security. C/NET. March 15, 2020. https://www.cnet.com/news/smart-home-developers-raise-concerns-about-alexa-and-google-assistant-security/ Accessed 7/17/20.

Case Study in Managing a Social Media Crisis

The Hershey Company (hersheycompany.com) impresses me in many ways. There is a sense within the brand to serve the customer and the community. Every good company will have crisis moments. Hershey continues to impress with an engaging crisis management ability.

Caroline Cakebread discusses the four ways executives are thinking about brand safety in 2018. She lists four rules:

1. Don’t over-react.
2. Stay true to your customer-not the trolls.
3. Stop talking, and start taking action.
4. The hysteria won’t last.[1]

A simple twitter search reveals three potential crisis moments that could easily spin out of control. Within a ten-day period, Hershey addresses a packaging issue, a discontinued product issue, and an employee’s inappropriate posts on social media. Yet, we see Hershey doesn’t overreact, focuses on the customer, takes action, and realizes the hysteria will not last, nor should it be flamed. Let’s examine the Hershey Company’s response to each issue.

The first issue is a packaging issue. On July 8, a customer posts a picture on twitter of a Hershey package of Hershey Nuggets. When the customer opens a package chocolate nugget, they find a pair of scissors. Hershey produces millions of candy packages weekly, and in the packaging process, a pair of scissors fell in a bag. It is hard to believe someone in quality control or in the store shelving the product did not notice the weight, but mistakes were made, and the package was sold containing a pair of scissors. Hershey’s twitter response followed the guidelines by responding with an action within 24 hours and simply stating, “Please send us a direct message (DM) with the UPC and manufacturing code, as well as your contact information. Thanks!”

The second issue is a complaint from a customer trying to find a product that has was discontinued and no longer available. The claim includes the necessity of the customer’s desire because of their child’s peanut allergy. Interestingly, the parent is reaching out while most Hershey products would come with a qualifying disclaimer that peanuts were present where the chocolate was processed. Upon closer examination, Hershey has a processing plant that is specifically allergen-free and promotes such allergen-free products on their website (thehersheycompany.com/en_us/whats-inside/allergens). Hershey’s response was quick and light-hearted “hi there! We’re sorry to say that we are no longer making Hershey’s spreads, but we’ll add your vote to bring them back!” It appears that Hershey addressed the crisis. I believe it would have been appropriate to add the link to the website revealing how to find other allergen-free Hershey products.

The third issue is indeed a crisis of employee expressing inappropriate actions on social media. On June 30, a person posted on twitter three screenshots of posts by a 23-year-old Hershey Company employee showing racists, misogynistic, and transphobic ideas on social media. The employee reveals in his bio his age and that he is a Hershey Company employee. The current climate of sensitive cultural issues could have easily escalated with quick and knee-jerk responses. Hershey stays true to their crisis management plan and responds with “Hi Shay. We have flagged this to the appropriate members of our team. Thank you.” The customer is the primary receiver, there is no over-reaction, and direct action is being taken.

I do not know if Hershey has read Caroline Cakebread’s four rules of don’t over-react, stay true to your customer-not the trolls, stop talking and start taking action while remembering the hysteria won’t last. What I do know is the Hershey Company is successfully delivering these four rules as a crisis management plan. It would behoove all social media managers to take rules and apply them in every crisis management plan. Keep developing great social media and never underestimate the power of a plan. 

You know I love ya, Don

1. Caroline Cakebread. Crisis Averted: How Marketers View Brand Safety Now. eMarketer.com, May 17, 2018. Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.emarketer.com/content/how-marketers-at-bayer-boxed-pernod-ricard-view-brand-safety

Five-Steps to Authentic Social Media Employee Engagement

Social Media Manager or coordinator is a person willing, ready, and prepared to wear many hats. A key player in the marketing schema, the social media person, is a content creator, video producer, strategist, coordinator, manager, copywriter, and SEO specializer actively examining online content for key performance indicators or KPIs. Yet, the critical component for the flywheel to crank everything mentioned above is stakeholder engagement.

The association for project management defines stakeholder engagement as: "is the practice of interacting with and influencing project stakeholders to the overall benefit of the project and its advocates. The successful completion of a project usually depends on how the stakeholders view it. Thus, the stakeholder's requirements, expectations, perceptions, personal agendas, and concerns will influence the project, shape what success looks like, and impact the outcomes that can be achieved. Successful stakeholder engagement is, therefore, a vital requirement for professional project management."[1]

Employees are a company's most apparent stakeholder. A social media marketeer must consider how the employees react to and advance the message their employers brand, especially on social media. I recall several decades ago when Dollywood put in a new high-speed roller coaster. During my years in East TN, I served as minister to a church located just a few miles from Dollywood, and several Dollywood employees were members of our church. The new coaster was the first steel coast for the park with several twists and loops. The marketing team put out several marketing tools, and one particular commercial along with billboards was Dolly Parton, referring to the new coaster as "It flips your wig."

Dolly Parton is famous for her colorful personality, which is heightened by the way she dresses and how she presents herself with a larger-than-life persona. It is not hard to imagine that looks are significant to Dolly, and she has multiple wigs. The employees know Dolly and are well aware she is afraid of all coaster rides and would never be in public without a wig and make-up. The stakeholder engagement for this marketing plan was in reverse with the employees. I recall being on park and an actual 15-year employee saying to me in response to the billboard, "Like she would ever get her wig flipped." Employee advocacy for the significant company investment flopped in Dolly's home town because the employees did not buy-in or advance the message of discovering the fun in the new steel coaster because of the lack of authenticity in the marketing scheme.

Anthony Taylor offers five steps for stakeholder engagement, which I think can easily translate into employee advocacy in the Social Media coordinator's online strategic plan. The first step is to identify the diverse employee advocates within the organization. In other words, who is going to be directly and indirectly impacted? The second step is to discover who are the social media influencers within the employee advocates. In other words, which of the employees are on social media and actively (or willing to become active) in advancing the brand in which they work. The third step is to create a plan which solicits employee feedback. In other words, create ownership for employees to embrace and be willing to promote to others online and offline. The fourth step is to incorporate the feedback and use it. Mr. Taylor's fifth and final step is to evaluate and adjust. A good evaluation will reveal employee engagement as a KPI.[2]

A social media specialist wears many hats, but employee advocacy will establish credibility within the hard work. The social media algorithms, especially Facebook, give more attention to people rather than organizational pages. A smart Social Media marketer will strategically engage employee advocacy. To not, would truly flip your marketing wig and flop all the hard work.

So … my Social Media friends plan to identify advocates, discover the influencers, create a feedback plan, incorporate the feedback, and adjust for greater KPI. Be safe, be diligent, always remember … I love ya. Don

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[1] Association for Project Management, What is stakeholder engagement?, https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/find-a-resource/stakeholder-engagement/, accessed July 5, 2020.

[2] Taylor, Anthony. 5 Steps to Stakeholder Engagement in Your Strategic Plan. Strategy Management Consulting. 8/20/2019. https://www.smestrategy.net/blog/stakeholder-engagement-in-your-strategic-plan-pt-1 accessed July 5, 2020.