This is a wonderfully illustrated step-by-step guide around issues of social media governance by Fibonacci Design. It covers everything from the fears and benefits of social media through to thinking about creating policies. For anyone in the role of HR and communications this is really worth looking through.
Neil Williams, head of corporate digital channels at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), has put together a template twitter strategy for government departments and made it available, to share and mash-up, via Scribd (see below).
The document is incredibly thorough – from clear objectives and success measurements through to how much time it takes to maintain – and a good starting point not just for government departments but brands, businesses and other organisations. The document could also be used to audit your current brand presence and help identify how it might be improved.
Neil explains why as an exercise in putting it together it was worth while, by stating:
[...] some of the benefits I’ve found of having this document in my armoury are:
* To get buy-in, explain Twitter’s importance to non-believers and the uninitiated, and face down accusations of bandwagon-jumping
* To set clear objectives and metrics to make sure there’s a return on the investment of staff time (and if there isn’t, we’ll stop doing it)
* To make sure the channel is used consistently and carefully, to protect corporate reputation from silly mistakes or inappropriate use
* To plan varied and interesting content, and enthuse those who will provide it into actively wanting to do so.
* As a briefing tool for new starters in the team who will be involved in the management of the channel
So, possibly before trying to convince the boss that Twitter is worth while… “honest”, it’s perhaps worth taking some time putting together a strategy that will help them see:
You may also wish to consider if individuals within the business or organisation should also be tweeting on behalf of the brand – this decision should be made on a case by case basis, although there are arguments being made for only having individuals tweet on their company’s behalf.
