20 School Transportation News Magazine September 2011 Dead Duck: Don’t Let the Next Flap Over Social Media Be Yours


By Joe Dysart Student transportation industry marketers


flocking to Facebook and Twitter without even a hint of a social media policy are discovering a disturbing truth: it only takes a few, ill-placed tweets and posts to get their feathers plucked. “When we decided to use social media as a plat-


form for message distribution, it was essential to outline its use and determine who would officially post on behalf of the company,” says Maureen Richmond, director of media relations at First- Group America, which operates First Student. School bus dealer A-Z Bus Sales in Rialto, Calif.,


has learned thatr social media message should be directed by the corporate marketing department to provide a consistent professional image, adds Ed King, director of sales and marketing. Insurance goliath Aflac learned this lesson the


hard way earlier this year when the voice of its wildly famous mascot duck — comedian Gilbert Gottfried — tweeted what were considered off- color jokes about Japan’s recent earthquake. In just a few hours, Gottfried’s jokes arguably tar- nished one of the most recognizable corporate characters in marketing history, as well as a sig- nificant percentage of the nation of Japan, where Aflac happens to do 75 percent of its business. Aflac fired Gottfried on the spot and jump-


started a contest to find a new voice for its famous fowl. But the damage was done. With a little forethought, and a social media


policy, student transportaters need not suffer the same fate. No no matter where you are in the process of putting together your own social media policy, or what tool you are using, here are some of the key elements you should have when formulating such a plan, based on insights from top experts in the medium.


SPARE THE SLEDGEHAMMER While it’s critical to have a social media policy,


be sure it reads like a friendly guide, and not a stern warning. Essentially, don’t “write a huge document that strangles any hint of spontane- ity from your team,” says Janet Fouts, author of Te Social Media Coach at www.janetfouts.com. “Quite the opposite. A corporate policy lets them know what they need to know to com- municate the company message effectively, and what they should and should not do.”


LET IT GO Once you agree to play in the social media space,


realize you’re simultaneously agreeing to lose at least some control over your company’s image. Given all the interactivity in the space, and the tens of thousands of cacophonous voices, it’s inevitable. Accept the ground rules, social media experts say, and instead focus on the medium’s benefits.


LOSE THE FILTER If you plan to run every post for Twitter or Facebook past your attorneys first, save yourself


the trouble and don’t do social media at all. “So- cial media doesn’t work like this,” Fouts says. “If your statements appear to be canned or profes- sionally produced, it’s bound to fall flat. Let the team know the facts when a new product comes out, or you reach a noteworthy milestone. Ten, let them put it into their own words.”


BUILD A BETTER WHEEL Lucky for you, scores of top companies and


corporations have already agonized over the drafting and creation of social media policies. Take a gander at more than 175 of those policies at the Social Media Governance Web site, www. socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php.


news to find that a key employee has dismissed the moon landing as just another conspiracy hoax — all under your company’s logo.


SCHEDULE A DATE FOR HR AND LEGAL While social media offers human resources a


new treasure trove for background checks, there are many social media activities to simply avoid when making hiring decision — including reading opinions about politics and religion on Facebook and the like. Here, guidance from attorneys really could save your firm untold headaches.


DON’T FORGET ABOUT THAT OTHER JOB If Facebook and Twitter are considered work, some employees may conclude that


staying


glued to both all day is perfectly reasonable. Instruct otherwise. “As great of a tool as social media is, it can also become a colossal time waster,” Barone says. “Let it be known that the company will be monitoring employee social media use — and actually do monitor it — and that abuse will be handled appropriately.”


STNSOCiAL, www.stnsocial.com, is an “internal” networking site just for the industry. But student transporters should still remain cautious with their online personas.


DEFINE THE ROSE Like many things, social media is in the eye


of the beholder. Some think of it as just Face- book and Twitter. Others include what’s posted on blogs, internal wikis and even what’s on the company’s customer service Q&A database. “You need to spell that out so everyone is


operating under the same definition,” says Lisa Barone, co-founder of Outspoken Media. “Once that’s squared away, provide an explanation of what social media means to your company. Why are you investing resources in participating? What do you hope to get out of it and how are these tools helping you?”


DRESS FOR SUCCESS Before your first tweet, decide if staff should


post only using online personas that clearly identify themselves with the firm — such as @ TINAwidgetcompany — or if they can use their after-work personas as well. Te danger of being too free-and-easy is a fired or disgruntled em- ployee can do great damage to a firm using an online name not owned by the company but that was used in the past to represent the company.


DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PERSONAL AND CORPORATE VIEWS In the casual world of social media, staff can


be tempted to mix personal views with official company dogma. Guard against this, experts say. You don’t want to turn on the morning


POST SIGNS FOR ‘NO MAN’S LAND’ Even the best-intentioned staffer can destroy a


company with a single post that should have re- mained confidential. Be pro-active and make sure “that they know what they can say, what they can’t, and what you’d absolutely hang them from their toes for if they ever muttered,” Barone says.


DON’T POKE THE CRAZY Inevitably, staffers are going to come across


that odd character who will do everything in his or her power to provoke a flame war, a seemingly unending game of tit-for-tat that will leave your firm looking amateurish, at best. Employees need to know “where the line is, and how, exactly, they should react when someone they’ve never met, and whom they were only trying to help, turns around to call them a huge moron,” Barone adds.


OFFER A CLUE Once you’ve established a social media policy,


hold a meeting to go over the major points, if necessary. You should also announce the new policy via company wide email, and tuck a copy of the guide in each employee’s HR folder. Adds Brad Bishop, executive vice president of


Synovia based in Indianapolis: “As social media makes its way into our industry, we will support our customers to ensure they are provided first class service from our team. I think most of us would prefer an in-person conversation, but that becomes more difficult as the demands on our time increase. We intend to keep our custom- ers informed of what we are doing as a company and always stand ready to respond, whether it be in person or via a virtual community.” ■


Dysart is business consultant based in New York.


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