I recently presented at 1 Mil Cups about Epiphany, encouraging and empowering fellow entrepreneurs on their journey. 1 Million Cups events are organized by more than 800 volunteers in 40+ states, one U.S. territory and six time zones, including Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I have had the pleasure of presenting at both locations. I attend as often as I can each week to hear from others out their doing their thing making the world go around. They energize and inspire me each time. At the beginning they give everyone a standing “O” to get them fired up. At the end they ask “what the audience can do for you.” I asked for people to give me questions they would like answered and topics to help us spark. One of the questions was about connecting the professional social media to personal pages. That is a loaded question, but I’m up for the challenge. So, here we go…
Should you link your personal social media to your professional social presence?
If you are immersed in your brand like we are and you are an authentic brand — you are who you say you are — then I’d say your personal and professional social media presences should be fairly seamless. Because let’s face it I am Epiphany and Epiphany is me. It has been my dream for as long as I can remember. I have always been Epiphany. My fans and foes love or hate me based on that. That’s real life. I personally don’t post anything on social media that I wouldn’t share in an elevator, so it would never compromise Epiphany in anyway and visa versa.
“Authenticity is at the heart of every powerful, impactful and influential leader. Bring your authentic self to the table. Authenticity builds trust. Each part of your personality is your competitive advantage. No one can be you like you,” Carla Harris said at the 2018 Global Leadership Summit. Nothing creates a more authentic competitive advantage than you and your people. It is our responsibility as leaders to create other leaders. If you enjoy what you do and are confident that you are using your gifts and talents to do good in the world — you feel empowered. That feeling of empowerment will spill over into your personal life.
OK Cool, but what if you aren’t the owner of the company?
We all have a personal brand. We are all trying to build and grow that brand by networking and community building. Your employees’ personal brand must have matched with your company’s DNA in some way or they wouldn’t be working for you. (If it doesn’t then, well, that is another question altogether.) If your employees have a clear understanding of your expectations then encourage them to spread the company love on social media. They are proud of their work and their company and they should be able to tell anyone and everyone about it. This only helps you. AND their network and community are likely part of or connected to your company. Remember, EVERYONE IS A PART OF YOUR MARKETING TEAM, they are all helping to build your brand and tell your story.
A few nuggets to ponder on:
- Everyone needs a social media policy that matches your organizational culture and brand DNA. The policy must be clearly communicated with everyone in the company — including the janitor.
- Invest in social media training so your entire team can represent you well online and help amplify your brand voice.
- Considering reciprocating the love. Tag employees in social media posts so their friends and family can see how proud you are of the work they do. Celerate them when you can!
If you are looking to expand your digital marketing team, but feel a bit apprehensive about the idea, give us a call. We are available to do an audit of your current situation to see what would work best for you and your organization’s DNA. If you have already set the beast loose, but need a social media policy, we can refer you to our partnering attorney. She is an expert in this area. Once she has you covered, we can provide a customized training session for your team on the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of social media to clearly communicate the expectations of the new social media policy.
