How can associates avoid hurting the bank in their personal social media use?

• Author: Kincy, Jason
• Position: SOCIAL MEDIA

A COMMON CONCERN FOR BANK MARKETERS is how to guard against compliance or reputational risk created by employees who engage in social media on a personal level.

Chances are a majority of your associates are already participating in social media on a personal level. Millions of Americans, including your bank staff are tweeting, blogging or posting a status update on Facebook--in many cases talking about the workplace. By providing some proactive education, you can have a positive impact on their social networking safety and minimize the risk to your institution.

There is no doubt that once your bank actively becomes involved in social media, many more employees will become more interested and curious and will want to try it on their own. Almost every banker I talk to agrees that once the bank begins participating, there is an increase in social networking activity by bank associates who want to learn more or become a part of an online social network. Since most banks block social networking activity for employees from work, this participation happens on smart phones or from their home computers. Even though these activities are not representing the bank and are done during nonwork hours, you can assist them in making good social media decisions while at the same time protecting your bank from unnecessary risks.

Work with your human resources and training department in crafting a training session that addresses common issues related to social media platforms where the bank is participating. Keep in mind that you will have some employees who have limited knowledge of social media, so be sure to keep it simple and don't get too detailed. Here are some topics you may want to consider including in your bank's training:

* Give a basic overview of social networking and some of the social platforms that are most commonly used such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn. Explain the differences in how users interact in each of these communities and a few tips on...