I like to say…”It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it!” There could never be a better case for this statement than the reputation damage that has occurred in recent years on social media. British Airways, McDonald’s, Chrysler, and many other brands have suffered massive brand damage such as negative feedback, hashtag hijacking and account misuse such as profanity posted, either as an act of sabotage, or simply human error. Contests, sweepstakes and lotteries are very popular methods of increasing brand awareness, but they are surrounded by guidelines and laws, which if not followed, can have legal implications
Content curation is practiced frequently on social media, as companies share interesting industry-related content, but copyright/trademark and defamation lawsuits may be the result. These are just a few of the many examples of social media risk and exposure. Clearly, all businesses, especially regulated industries, such as financial and healthcare should assess their online risk, develop a plan to protect their reputation and ensure all social media activities are legally compliant. A legal and compliance assessment of current exposure and risk to develop a plan for compliance going forward is highly recommended.
Once businesses have identified their risk, they can focus on putting needed mitigation steps in place; becoming compliant with industry and legal requirements and training and educating employees involved with social media how to best conduct themselves online as they represent the brand. Socially Legal Audit (SLA) is the trade mark for a process in which certified auditors, licensed legal personnel combine to provide assessment and audit of social media and internet risks for businesses, practices and firms. The outcome of the assessments and audits is a comprehensive set risk mitigation recommendations. If you would like to learn more, or speak with a certified Socially Legal Auditor, please contact James R. Alexander at MEDIA MARKETING Digital Marketing today.