Jumping on Twitter or setting up a Facebook page is not so easy for highly regulated industries like healthcare and financial services. To avoid running afoul of federal disclosure guidelines, such companies need to plan their social media strategies carefully. Among key considerations:
- Learn and understand the laws of your industry’s regulatory agencies, and learn them well. Make sure you’re aware of updated guidelines. Develop an environment of compliance.
- Follow best practices and institute written social media policies. Make sure employees involved in social media are aware of copyright and trademark infringements, confidentiality issues, and guidelines for discussions about competitors, to name a few examples.
- Educate your staff. Train them constantly on social media regulation. Use real world case studies to show how to handle what to do on Twitter, forums and message boards, and blogs.
Find more detail in this detailed how-to from The Firm Voice of the Council of Public Relations Firms.
– Gretchen Schmidt