LAS VEGAS, NEV. (May 25, 2010) – “Get in the game but be careful” was the message JTMarCom Social Media Vice President Christine Taylor shared with representatives of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) in Vegas.

Taylor was talking social media (not black jack) with marketing officials for heavy equipment manufacturers and CON/AGG Expo organizers who were in Vegas last week to prepare for CON/AGG Expo 2011.

“Some companies don’t get involved in social media because they are afraid of losing control,” Taylor said. “These companies are missing the boat. You should be listening to online conversations about your company and engaging with your target audiences online. But it is important to have a clear strategic marketing direction and a social media policy for your employees.”

Taylor, who chaired a roundtable discussion on social media policies, said the policy should make it clear that defamation, privacy, negligence, contracts and other serious topics that apply to other forms of communications certainly apply to social media. “What happens on Facebook, stays on Facebook,” Taylor says. “For instance, you might think you’re joking around during an online exchange, but just a single post and response could bind you into some contractual action.”

She said the policy should also provide employees guidelines such as:
• be responsible for what you write
• be authentic
• consider your audience
• exercise good judgment
• bring value

“Your employees can be some of your strongest advocates in social media; you just need to provide them some guidance through policies and hopefully training,” Taylor said.

Taylor advises companies to review social media policies at — http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php — to find examples that are applicable to specific industries.
JTMarCom is a Nashville-based agency specializing in the integration of social media marketing with traditional marketing.