MindLeaders social media guideline for employees.

1. 1
Welcome!

2. 2
Welcome
to
the
MindLeaders
Social
Media
Playbook,
an
in-­‐depth
guide
that
will
help
you
create
effective
social
media
content
within
the
parameters
of
MindLeaders’
social
media
strategy.
Social
Media
Mission
Statement
By
helping
employees
build
their
own
professional
brand
through
social
media,
the
MindLeaders
brand
will
in-­‐turn
be
enhanced,
driving
leads
and
sales
through
thought
leadership
and
increased
visibility.
The
employees’
role
What
is
being
asked
of
you?
Adhere
to
MindLeaders
Social
Media
Policy
and
Procedures.
Establish
a
personal
brand
presence
on
major
social
media
platforms
that
are
within
the
strategic
direction
of
your
supervisor.
Create
or
pass
along
content
that
is
engaging
and/or
useful
to
MindLeaders
targeted
audience.
How
will
the
Marketing
Department
help?
Editorial
assistance
Blogging
support
(writing
assistance,
proofing,
posting)
Provide
content
to
share/post
via
social
media
Offer
continuing
guidance
on
networking
practices
Utilize
corporate
social
media
presence
to
market/promote
individual
employees
and
their
content
MindLeaders
corporate
social
media
URLs
You
can
follow/like/connect
with
MindLeaders’
social
media
accounts
at
these
addresses:
Blog
http://blog.mindleaders.com/
Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/mindleaders/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/mindleaders
LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/company/mindleaders
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/mindleadersinc
Google+
https://plus.google.com/b/118093314558798339223/#
The
MindLeaders
Blog
Overview
Purpose
Establish
MindLeaders
as
a
thought-­‐leader
on
elearning
and
talent
management
Increase
visibility
of
the
MindLeaders
brand
through
search
engine
optimization
Increase
traffic
to
the
MindLeaders
website
Facilitate
conversation
on
the
blog
and
other
social
media
outlets
Content
strategy
The
blog
should
be
used
to
promote
ideas
and
concepts
pertaining
to
elearning
and
talent
management.
The
blog
should
not
be
used
to
promote
MindLeaders
products
and
services
or
share
MindLeaders
news.
The
objective
here
is
to
give
useful
and
relevant
everyday
advice
to
anyone
that
visits
the
blog.
Here
are
two
examples
of
how
to
distinguish
between
blog
content
and
content
more
suitable
in
another
medium:

3. 3
Example
1
(Don’t
do)
MindLeaders
is
releasing
a
new
product.
TalentGuides
will
provide
users
with
real-­‐time
learning
to
help
them
accomplish
their
day-­‐to-­‐day
tasks.
Example
2
(Do)
Real-­‐time
learning
is
an
undervalued
means
of
employee
development.
Here
are
some
ways
in
which
it
differs
from
standard
elearning
practices
and
some
thoughts
on
how
best
to
implement
it.
Example
2
is
more
fitting
for
the
blog
because
it:
Is
not
a
sales
pitch
for
MindLeaders
or
its
products
Does
not
even
mention
MindLeaders
in
the
post
Offers
insight
into
a
relevant
concept
as
opposed
to
describing
a
product
If
you
have
a
topic
that
ties
back
to
MindLeaders
that
you
want
to
discuss
on
the
blog
(such
as
a
new
product),
try
discussing
the
concepts
that
make
that
product
relevant
but
don’t
discuss
the
product
itself.
In
doing
so,
readers
will
get
value
out
of
the
post
without
being
turned
off
by
a
sales
pitch.
Blogging
tips
Target
audience
Before
you
begin
writing,
you
should
always
ask
for
whom
the
post
is
intended.
Is
it
for
managers,
employees,
CTOs,
CEOs,
HR
managers,
etc?
Determining
your
target
audience
will
help
you
identify
areas
of
your
post
that
should
receive
the
most
attention.
It
will
also
help
you
develop
the
appropriate
tone
and
voice
for
the
post.
Blog
formats
These
are
some
common
formats
used
in
the
blogosphere:
• Lists
(Top
5
Ways
to
Engage
Learners;
Seven
Ways
to
Improve
Succession
Planning)
• Story
(“I
was
talking
to
a
CTO
and
realized
[profound
thought]”)
• Unique
take
on
another
blog
or
commonly
held
belief
(“We
all
know
X,
but
what
if
we’re
overlooking
the
value
of
Y?”)
• Metaphor/simile/comparison
(Just
as
a
bad
coach
can
hold
back
a
talented
team,
poor
management
can
stifle
employee
development.)
Voice
and
tone
Your
blog
should
have
a
conversational
tone.
Writing
in
first-­‐person
is
perfectly
acceptable
(I,
us,
you,
your
etc…).
Be
careful
if
you
are
writing
in
the
third-­‐person
(ex:
One
must
understand
the
importance
of
elearning)
as
you
do
not
want
your
post
to
come
across
as
someone’s
academic
thesis
on
elearning
(in
other
words,
it’s
not
as
engaging).
Remember,
always
be…
Clear
(explain
confusing
terms
and
jargon)
Concise
(don’t
say
in
100
words
what
can
be
said
in
50)
Friendly
(ask
others
to
participate
in
the
discussion
with
you,
even
if
their
opinions
differ)
Posting
process

4. 4
Send
your
post
or
ideas
for
a
post
to
the
copywriter
(tmunn@mindleaders.com).
The
copywriter
will
share
thoughts
and
suggestions
regarding
the
post
and
make
any
necessary
edits.
You
will
have
a
chance
to
review
the
final
post
before
it
is
published
and
make
any
last
changes.
The
copywriter
will
let
you
know
when
your
post
is
published
on
the
blog.
Twitter
Overview
Purpose
Employees
on
Twitter
should
establish
themselves
as
hub
of
industry
news
and
content
that
lends
credibility
to
your
personal
brand
as
well
as
the
company
brand.
As
each
individual
grows
their
following,
MindLeaders’
reach
will
increase
exponentially,
improving
brand
visibility
and
message
frequency.
Twitter
also
allows
potential
prospects
and
clients
to
attach
a
face
and
a
humanizing
voice
to
the
MindLeaders
brand.
General
guidelines
Background
When
setting
up
your
MindLeaders
Twitter
account,
we
strongly
encourage
you
to
use
the
MindLeaders-­‐produced
Twitter
background.
(See
MindLeaders’
Twitter
setup
instructions
for
assistance.)
Supplemental
programs
MindLeaders
encourages
employees
to
download
additional
programs
that
will
help
you
build
and
maintain
your
Twitter
presence.
TweetAdder
is
a
program
that
will
automatically
add
followers
to
your
Twitter.
You
may
download
TweetAdder
here:
http://www.tweetadder.com/
(See
TweetAdder
installation
instructions.)
Tweet
Deck
allows
you
to
easily
follow
Twitter
activity
and
post
from
various
social
media
accounts.
You
may
download
Tweet
Deck
here:
http://www.tweetdeck.com/
Bitly
will
shorten
your
links
so
they
do
not
use
up
as
many
characters
in
your
tweet.
Bitly
also
allows
you
to
track
how
often
each
of
your
links
was
viewed
and
clicked.
You
can
set
up
an
account
here:
http://bitly.com/
What
to
post
about
Below
are
a
few
suggestions.
Include
links
whenever
possible
for
more
information.
• Links
to
relevant
articles
in
industry
publications
• MindLeaders
news*
• New
MindLeaders
blog
posts
• Brief
quotes
your
audience
may
find
relevant
• Your
brief
thoughts
on
a
relevant
topic
• Questions
about
your
followers’
thoughts
on
relevant
topics
• Re-­‐tweet
other
MindLeaders
employees
tweets
when
appropriate

5. 5
*Do
not
violate
MindLeaders
privacy
policy
or
non-­‐disclosure
agreement
when
posting
news.
Check
with
your
manager
if
you
are
not
sure
whether
or
not
you
are
allowed
to
publicly
mention
something.
See
also
MindLeaders
Social
Media
Policy.
Basic
Twitter
lingo
RT
Re-­‐tweet.
You
are
essentially
forwarding
along
to
your
followers
information
someone
else
has
posted
or
responding
to
a
specific
tweet
someone
you
follow
posted.
Great
link!
RT
@MindLeaders
See
what’s
new
in
#talentmanagement
at
the
ML
blog!
@[xyz]
Use
this
to
directly
mention
or
reply
to
someone.
They
will
be
notified
that
you
mentioned
them.
#[topic]
If
someone
searches
for
the
#
topic
you
posted,
your
tweet
will
appear.
For
example,
if
you
want
someone
to
see
a
link
to
your
blog
about
elearning,
your
tweet
could
read,
“Hey,
check
out
my
new
blog
about
#elearning
[link].”
It’s
basically
a
way
to
get
your
tweet
in
front
of
the
right
audience.
Facebook
Overview
While
Facebook
is
more
of
a
personal,
informal
socialization
network,
it
can
still
serve
a
practical
professional
function.
You
should
follow
the
same
practices
and
policies
for
Facebook
that
you
do
with
Twitter.
Promoting
MindLeaders
through
Facebook
• “Like”
the
MindLeaders
business
page
• “Like”
and
comment
on
posts
on
the
MindLeaders
business
page
• Direct
friends
to
the
MindLeaders
business
page
or
website
through
posts
o Link
to
new
ML
blog
articles
o Link
to
news
releases
on
the
ML
website
Keep
in
mind…
Again,
if
you
are
going
to
use
Facebook
for
professional
purposes,
always
be
aware
of
what
you
are
posting,
whether
it’s
pictures,
links
or
comments,
even
if
it’s
geared
toward
a
non-­‐professional
friend.
If
you
wish
to
be
less
guarded
in
your
interactions
on
Facebook,
or
are
having
trouble
adhering
to
the
MindLeaders
Social
Media
Policies
&
Procedures
with
a
mixed
audience
of
professional
and
non-­‐
professional
friends,
it
is
recommended
that
you
create
a
separate
Facebook
account
for
MindLeaders-­‐
related
activity.
LinkedIn
Overview
Unlike
Facebook
and
Twitter,
LinkedIn
is
a
site
built
almost
exclusively
for
professional
networking.
The
purpose
of
LinkedIn
is
to
allow
individuals
to
keep
in
touch
with
and
expand
their
business/professional

6. 6
connections.
For
this
reason,
LinkedIn
is
an
excellent
tool
for
MindLeaders
sales
professionals
to
leverage.
Setting
up
your
profile
In
addition
to
including
your
title
and
experiences
at
MindLeaders,
it
is
recommended
that
you
include
the
MindLeaders
website
on
your
LinkedIn
profile
(this
will
help
improve
MindLeaders’
SEO
rankings).
Adding
the
MindLeaders
Website
1. Go
to
the
Edit
Profile
page
and
click
“Add
Website”
next
to
“Website”
in
the
additional
information
section
under
your
photo.
2. Click
the
drop-­‐down
box
next
to
“Websites:”
and
select
“Other:”
3. Type
“MindLeaders”
in
the
Name
field
and
enter
http://www.mindleaders.com
in
the
URL
field.
4. Click
the
blue
“Save
Changes”
button
at
the
bottom
of
the
page.
You
can
also
synch
your
Twitter
account
to
display
on
your
LinkedIn
account.
This
will
allow
for
more
efficient
sharing
on
your
social
media
networks
and
lets
LinkedIn
users
see
a
little
more
of
your
personality.
Synching
Twitter
to
your
LinkedIn
profile
1. Click
“Add
Twitter”
in
the
additional
information
section
below
your
photo.
2. Sign
into
your
Twitter
account
when
prompted.
3. Approve
the
action
when
prompted.
Connecting
with
LinkedIn
groups
Any
MindLeaders
employee
can
benefit
from
connecting
to
various
elearning-­‐
and
talent
management-­‐
centric
groups
and
participating
in
discussion
forums.
Again,
this
builds
the
individual’s
brand
and
credibility
in
addition
to
MindLeaders’.
Below
are
some
suggested
groups
to
follow
on
LinkedIn:
• ELearning
Professionals
o http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3724233&mostPopular=&trk=tyah
• eLearning
Global
Network
o http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=55108&mostPopular=&trk=tyah
• HR
&
Talent
Management
Executive
o http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=98001&mostPopular=&trk=tyah
You
should
also
participate
in
MindLeaders’
own
LinkedIn
group,
the
MindLeaders
Elearning
Community.
You
may
join
the
group
here.
[http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=3872792&trk=anet_ug_hm&goback=%2Egdr_13239838
83235_1]
Using
Klout.com
to
Measure
Social
Media
Engagement

7. 7
Klout
is
a
social
media
measuring
tool
you
can
use
to
quantify
your
engagement
across
multiple
social
media
platforms.
You
can
set
up
a
Klout
account
by
going
to
http://klout.com
and
following
the
prompt
to
login
via
Twitter
or
Facebook.
Once
logged
in,
you
can
add
other
social
media
accounts,
such
as
LinkedIn,
to
your
profile.
The
more
information
you
provide
Klout,
the
more
accurate
it
will
be
when
scoring
your
network
reach
and
influence.
To
connect
additional
networks,
scroll
your
mouse
over
the
menu
in
the
top-­‐right
corner.
A
dropdown
menu
should
appear.
Click
on
“Settings”
(second
from
bottom).
Then,
click
on
“Connected
Networks”
on
the
left
menu.
Click
“Connect
Now”
next
to
the
network
you
want
to
incorporate
in
your
Klout
profile.
MindLeaders
Social
Media
Policy
&
Procedures
1. Any
public
post
made
on
an
account
that
ties
you
to
MindLeaders
should
not
contain:
• Profanity
• Culturally,
ethnically,
religiously
or
racially
insensitive/intolerant
language
• Potentially
divisive
and/or
strongly
worded
political
opinion
• Content
that
could
be
construed
as
sexually
offensive
or
discriminating
toward
a
particular
gender
You
should
always
err
on
the
side
of
caution
when
posting
content.
A
generally
safe
rule
to
follow
is:
When
you’re
not
sure
if
it’s
okay
to
say
something,
either
don’t
say
it
or
find
a
different
way
to
say
it!
Examples:
Don’t
say:
Political
Party
X’s
new
plan
will
really
hinder
small
business’s
ability
to
pay
for
compliance
training.
Typical
stupid
Party
X
behavior…
You
can
say:
How
do
you
think
Party
X’s
proposed
policy
will
affect
compliance
training?
The
second
example
does
not
take
a
particular
side,
thus
not
offending
anyone
of
any
political
affiliation.
Instead,
the
second
example
facilitates
dialogue
among
readers.
You
should
still
be
careful
to
monitor
subsequent
comments
to
make
sure
your
readers
do
not
cross
any
boundaries
either.
In
general,
it’s
best
to
avoid
politics
in
social
media
posts.
2. Do
not
post
pictures
that
are
or
could
be
considered
detrimental
to
your
personal
image
and
the
MindLeaders
brand.
This
includes
pictures
and
images
that
are:
• Sexually
suggestive
• Lewd
• Vulgar
• Suggestive
of
excessive
alcohol/substance
abuse

8. 8
• Otherwise
offensive
Examples:
Don’t
post:
You
can
post:
The
second
picture
is
acceptable
because
both
individuals
still
appear
professional
and
sober,
perhaps
even
closing
a
business
deal
over
a
drink.
Always
add
captions
when
possible
to
explain
the
relevance
of
the
photo.
For
example,
a
caption
for
this
photo
might
read,
“Greg
and
I
shared
a
celebratory
drink
for
closing
out
the
year
in
sales
strong.”
3. Do
not
use
offensive,
tactless
or
debasing
language
toward
a
competitor
of
MindLeaders
in
any
post.
Examples:
Don’t
say:

9. 9
Have
you
seen
SkillSoft’s
courses?
What
a
joke…
You
can
say:
I
think
MindLeaders’
courses
stack
up
pretty
well
with
SkillSoft’s!
[Link
to
screenshot
of
ML
course]
When
calling
out
a
competitor
or
comparing
them
to
MindLeaders,
always
be
positive
about
MindLeaders
as
opposed
to
negative
about
the
competitor.
Using
harsh
or
provocative
language
makes
you
and
MindLeaders
appear
childish
and
unprofessional.
4. Do
not
post
about
news
or
events
that
are
not
yet
meant
to
be
made
public.
Respect
the
company’s
privacy
policy!
Example:
If
the
news
has
not
been
made
public,
don’t
say:
MindLeaders
just
signed
a
deal
with
Company
X!
Should
mean
new
courses
to
sell!
5. Do
not
post
about
internal
happenings
at
MindLeaders
that
violate
the
company’s
privacy
policy.
Examples:
Don’t
say:
Just
had
our
quarterly
sales
meeting.
Not
sure
if
we’ll
hit
our
sales
mark
this
year.
You
can
say:
Great
meeting
this
morning.
Excited
to
get
Q4
off
on
the
right
foot!
The
second
example
does
not
divulge
any
information
that
could
compromise
MindLeaders’
image
or
goals.
6. These
policies
and
practices
should
also
be
adhered
to
when
posting
to
non-­‐MindLeaders
networks
(a
third-­‐party
elearning
blog,
for
example).