The Army Reserve’s 10 rules for social media practitioners

1. Develop a “plan on a page.” Before you sign up for Facebook , Twitter, LinkedIn or any platform, you must evaluate whom your audience is (internal and external), what your organization’s key communications goals are, and what’s your desired “end state.” Having a Facebook page is not a social media strategy; it’s a reactionary effort to “keep up with the Jones.” Communications plans are a key part of any corporation’s strategy and social media is not immune to this step.

2. Integrate with all other media. Don’t work in a vacuum. Continually ask how you can integrate with the other media (your media team, outreach/events team, executive communications, etc). If your senior executive is doing a media interview, he should be plugging your social media sites, and if the chief of corporate policy is sending an internal communications directive she should be “asking for feedback” via your internal social media channels. Never miss an opportunity to plug and promote your sites through all your organization’s media executions and outlets.