Social Media for Executives – Do’s and Don’ts
Social Media for Executives, the great, uncharted waters for business growth and also a pit of quicksand waiting to trip up the successful executive who misuses it. Like that photo from your college years (yeah, that one) that your friend posted and tagged you in. Or your status update last month when you had a bad day calling your employees inept. Social Media for Executives is powerful but must be used wisely.
But social media is fun and has attained massive popularity for a reason. So how do you enjoy a personal use of social media while maintaining your online executive reputation? A few simple guidelines can allow you both the freedom to use social media and the wisdom to avoid its many pitfalls.
- KISS — First and foremost, use the KISS principle. The adage you learned back in grade school still applies — keep it simple, stupid. If you choose to maintain a social media profile, tone your profile down. Choose one social media platform, not five or six. Limit your posts, pictures and comments. Ask friends not to tag you.
- Security — Routinely check your security settings on your account to make sure you have them set to the most private settings possible. Companies change their policies regularly and may reset your profile without your permission.
- Tight Knit — You don’t need to friend any and everyone. Decide what your personal social media use is for, like keeping up with far-flung family members for example, and limit your circle of friends.
Social media works well for business growth and social media for executives can work well, but can just as easily harm it if you don’t keep tabs on your personal social media use. One post, one photo, one comment out of line could sink all the work you do on a daily basis to ensure your reputation and that of your business.
* Great Info-graphic on How Executives Use Social Media
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