Social Media Management- Authenticity, Transparency, Ethics and Trust

The role of Ethics and Congruence in Social Media Management 

aka Don't be an Internet Marketing Prostitute

Today I have just been thinking about how important it is to make sure that you feel congruent about the clients who you agree to work with as a social media manager.  We have and we will be asked to promote things that are not in line with our values.  Here's the thing:  Don't do it. 

There are a number of reasons why this is a bad idea even though the thought of it can seem very tempting.  A good social media strategy should always aim for disclosure, authenticity, transparency and trust.  If you are trying to promote something that you don't believe in you will fail miserably with each of these vital processes.  

Disclosure

Disclosure issues are hotly debated at the moment in social media circles.  How do you decide what you should disclose and when it is ethical to hide or retain information?  This could be applied to cloaking affiliate links, sponsored tweets, ghost writing, false profiles or conversing in someone else's name.  Some people think it is unethical to speak in someone else's voice, but it is certainly not a new concept.  Personal assistants and ghost writers have been around for a long time.  One thing is for sure, if you are going to speak for someone else, you need to really know what they would want you to say.  You have to be able to think like them.  If you do not believe in what they are offering, it will be much more difficult to get enough rapport with your client to be able to do this.  If you are not in harmony, the chances are you will not be able to engage or create convincing content for your client and this could damage his or her reputation.  

Authenticity

I believe that if you do not agree with or like what your client is doing it will be impossible to promote it.  I have noticed that when I get really excited about something and use social media to talk about it, I get loads and loads of comments and feedback.  When I have talked about things that I am neutral about, there is little feedback. People know when you are being authentic, they see through copywritten material straight away and delete it.  On the other hand, we are able to see 'where the party is'.  If people percieve that your online efforts are authentic, they will want to communicate with you and will grow to trust you.  

Transparency

Transparency is one of the biggest reasons that we are seing the social media revolution.  It is increasingly possible for the public to see what is going on in a business and to feel as though they are getting to know the people in the business.  People want to deal with people who are being forthright and honest. It's much more about the “who” (people) and not the “what” (brand or company).  If you are not being congruent about what you are promoting, you will not build transparency in to the marketing strategy.  Transparency is more important online than offline especially on first contact because people are on their guard against fraudsters.  

Trust 

Trust is gained through authenticity of your profile and branding, disclosure of honest information and transparency of interaction and engagement in the community. It is a result of all of these things.  People buy from people they know, like and trust so it is really important that people feel that they can trust you.  

How can they possibly feel that they can trust you if you are not being congruent?  Refer to someone else and you will gain the respect of your community and you will gain a reputation as someone who is congruent.