Importance of Social Media Guidelines

The first day at SXSW, I attended a panel with Shashi B "Social Media Swami" and Raj Malik, Sr. Director of Legal and Business Affairs for a company called Network Solution. Shashi B, the voice of Network Solution's social media campaign, is also prolific twitterer, blogger, and product innovator.

After the panel, I connected with Raj Malik, the legal brains behind the company's social media campaign, to find out more about some "best practices" for starting a social media campaign. He later directed me to SXSW Follow-Up: Coroporate Social Media Guidelines for a brief overview of corporate social media guidelines.

A basic social media platform would include the following:

• Who is the voice of this campaign?
• What metrics/goals is the campaign trying to accomplish?
• Who is responsible for making sure the information disclosed in the campaign is legal? Or not harmful to the companies involved?
  
• How will the campaign voice respond to negative comments or false statements?
• Whose responsibility is it to maintain the campaign, once it is launched?
  

Some basic food for thought, but as agencies continue to use online tools (video uploading sites, social networks, twitter, blogs, etc.) for client brands, we must not forget to think about possible ramifications. More strategical preparation upfront can significantly help in the long run.