Be Careful You Don't Hand Your Brand Reputation Over to Youth

The youth today is normally seen as the more tech-savvy ones because they have grown up with the type of technology that is available to us today. It is this same technology that people have been using to improve the way they do business. We have computers and mobile phones and the vast number of applications we utilize in order to make business transactions easier and cheaper. We also have the internet where we can find millions of people to market to. Technology continues to improve in order to make our lives easier and because of this, businesses have become dependent on it.

Even though a lot of people have already become dependent on technology, there are still a lot of people who are having a hard time adjusting to computers and the internet. This is why many businesses have become interested in young professionals because the youth is expected to know more about technology. Businesses believe that younger people know how to effectively use computers and access the internet. Yet, just knowing how a tool functions doesn’t constitute expertise in marketing or at the very least communication.

There are those who know what Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites are but they may not fully understand how to effectively catalyze conversations on these sites for marketing purposes. They may know how to post photos and share content but is there a true strategy and expected outcome from doing so?  Could something they do hurt your brand reputation? And, are you willing to let just anyone be responsible for your online identity?   While it may be true that younger employees or interns may be more knowledgeable in using social media, it is still important to follow tight measures to ensure that your employee is mirroring your brand online and utilizing their personal brand to express your brand in its best form.

Here are some tips on how you can protect your brand when you decide on hiring someone young to manage your social media sites:

Verify their computer skills – This is important since it involves handling your online reputation. You want to make sure that the person you are hiring for the post knows how to use the computer well and navigate the internet properly. This might seem absurd but again, you can never be too sure. Computers are made to speed up business transactions. If you hire someone who doesn’t really know what they are doing, you’re just decreasing office productivity. If the position is urgent, you want to make sure that you get someone who really knows how to handle computers and the tools that you are using.

Someone who understands your brand – It is important that the person you place in the position to handle your online presence understands who you are as a brand. If that person also has the same values as your brand does, you will have an easier time managing your employee. Make your employee understand who you are as a brand and how you want your brand to be portrayed online.

Keep constant communication – To ensure that you don’t risk your brand’s reputation you have to make sure you work closely with your employee. Establish constant communication between the two of you to ensure that your employee is doing everything right. It is going to take a while before they can adjust to the workflow which is why it is important that someone monitors your employee’s work. Keep in mind that this is your brand. Set rules for your employee to keep them from accessing their personal accounts while working. You don’t want your employee to accidentally post something on your brand profile and inadvertently cause a social meltdown.

Don’t turn all the responsibility over, yet – Don’t immediately pass all responsibility to your employee. It takes a while to get used to managing different social media at one time. You don’t want to overwhelm your employee with too many tasks because this will lead to mistakes. As you work closely with your employee, you will know when it is right to hand him or her more responsibility. Make sure to always check with your employee first though to see whether they understand precisely what they need to do and how to do it.

While I use the term “employee” here, the term freelancer, outsourced marketing department or advertising agency rep can be used, too.

Businesses have been taking their brands online and if you are thinking of hiring a young employee to manage your social media accounts on the premise that they are more knowledgeable about technology than older professionals, make sure to follow necessary measurements and provide readily accessible support, guidance and training. Marketing your brand using social media sites is not easy and if you need dependable help with your online marketing strategy, you can try Buzz to Bucks, which is a word of mouth marketing firm for small business and personal brands!