Another important thing that any content manager must do is ensure that all published content matches up with the image and standards of the company producing it. Currently, it is in vogue for companies to have social media profiles and other public mouthpieces whereby they often engage in banter, joke with the public, and otherwise attempt to be relatable. This PR tool is a very useful one, but is also often the one which lands companies in trouble. Sometimes a post will go out without much thought, and the post will appear insensitive or otherwise inflammatory. This can create huge and negative PR disasters, where the company can end up losing business and public trust. So if you are supervising the publication of this type of content, it is your job to evaluate what content will be appropriate for publication.
First, you need to be aware of topics which are currently sensitive. If there has been a recent disaster or unfortunate event, you do not want your posts or content to inadvertently reference this. This can easily be seen as distasteful or tone deaf, and can alienate the public. News agencies need no excuse to invent scandal and point fingers, so try not to be an easy target.
Second, you need to evaluate the public image of your company, and what type of content you can be associated with without damaging your brand. Generally speaking, you want to avoid any type of content that could offend or alienate your prime customers and userbase. For most companies, this will mean that you need to avoid any and all controversial topics completely. The risk involved with topics such as these are not at all worth the rewards.
However, if your business revolves around other types of interactions, or has a strong public image, it can be useful to embrace content which helps cultivate this image. If your customers skew older and conservative, focus on content which will be relevant and useful to them. If your customers are younger and enjoy internet culture, embrace that as well. However, there are two key things to avoid. The first, is to avoid seeming out of touch. If it seems like you are pandering heavily to your customers, this will be noticed and strongly disliked. Do not appear to pander. Second, avoid stereotyping your users and readers. Despite the fact that you have some of their demographic information, remember that each individual will have different experiences, and that no person will ever fit the exact average.
Evaluating Content for Public Viewing
June 17, 2017by smartguys