SOCIAL media should be treated as a ‘public space’, a leading digital marketing boss has told 160 delegates at a conference today in Glasgow.
Gary Ennis, managing director of NSDesign, was speaking at the annual meeting of the Customer Contact Association. And his advice on the use of social media was that businesses should take a fresh look at their online communications policies to avoid running into possible future legal difficulties.
Ennis was joined by fellow-presenter, Eilidh Wiseman, partner and head of employment law at lawyers, Dundas & Wilson.
The annual meeting was titled ‘The Connected Customer’. It continues tomorrow.
Said Wiseman: “If the last few years are anything to go by, social media will remain in a state of permanent evolution. Employers need to keep their policy under review to keep ahead of the risks.
“While the responsibility for reviewing the social media policy may rest with HR or IT, they need to ensure that input is obtained from other social media users including marketing, PR and customer complaints. Joining up all the dots is key to ensuring that employers present a holistic social media strategy which covers the bigger picture.”
Added Ennis: “Social media is still a relatively new phenomenon, and whilst it gives businesses a fantastic opportunity to develop communications, it can result in serious legal difficulties if used incorrectly. Social media platforms should be treated as a public space – if you would not say something in a business meeting or in an interview with a journalist, don’t say it online.
“A social media policy should explain the key do’s and don’ts for good practice, and as long as it is kept under continuous review, business owners should be actively encouraging all their employees to get involved.”
