Social Media Snafu's

Social media is a part of our lives and is here to stay. Yet there are still some business owners who refuse to engage and harness the power of this powerful platform. While we primarily use Instagram, IGTV and Facebook, I am looking at Reels.

While some firms have relaxed their social media policies since COVID, I know first-hand that others have tightened the reigns. I am seeing many new positions available for Graphic Designers/Social Media Managers. While many firms see the value of having their team members be active on social media, many are dedicating staff solely for this work.

Fun fact – did you know that studies have been conducted that show that employees who are active on social media platforms outperform those who do not engage. They have also discovered that people who do not use SM are less likely to come up with innovative and creative ideas.

That said, there must be a sense of balance. The younger generation is so glued to their phones and while they can do great things, their engagement can get out of hand and potentially put your firm at risk.
Many business owners are forced to terminate employment due to social media misuse.


Here are some of the most common social media blunders:

Making derogatory comments about a client. For me, this would be an automatic termination. It should be obvious, but I believe you need to add a clause in your Operations Manual that discusses your social media protocols. It is never okay to discuss clients in a negative tone on social media.

In fact, most of our clients value their privacy and we have specific clauses with releases in our Letter of Agreement that give us rights to use photographs but not their names or address. Disclosing sensitive, and what may be considered inappropriate information is never okay!

We discussed permissions and rights to use content in our August newsletter. With the new iPhone 13 on the market, including cinematic mode, people are so eager to photograph everything. Photography and video can spell trouble for employees, especially in our profession.

My advice is to create your own Social Media policy AND have one of the principals sign off on all posts/tweets/stories. Be sure that everyone reads, understands, and signs your Agreement and knows the rules. I would have this policy vetted by an attorney to be sure you are covering yourself and protecting your team as well.

It is your responsibility and while you can terminate an employee, a stain on your reputation is not as easy to obliterate from the record.