You might only think about communications consulting if you are a large, popular brand. Whether your business is smaller or you are a social media personality, you need to learn effective communication.

You Need To Educate Your Employees

With social media being a popular platform for the average citizen or celebrities, it's no surprise problems arise. You should consider hiring a communications agency like S & A Communications to educate your employees, especially if they work in social media management, advertising, or other public positions in your business, but also to give them education on good decorum on their private pages. Many employees erroneously think their public posts on private accounts are protected by the 1^st Amendment. Although this is true to some extent, saying offensive or hurtful comments about groups of people or otherwise painting your employer in a bad light might be your opinion, but it does not mean you are absolved from consequences.

Cultivate Your Online Persona

As a brand, you might have specific goals in mind for your company, such as being family-oriented or being inclusive of everyone. Effective communication, both in what you say and your overall persona, such as website and social media posts, can help you cultivate this message. You might work with a consultant on the wording of messages displayed on your social media and website, so they hit the right notes with your audience.

The images you post on different platforms can also have an impact. Sometimes they can convey hidden messages or they may not live up to the standards expected by your audience. For example, one recent concern includes fitness personalities on social media and imagery that might be considered racy or perpetuate body image concerns, especially among females. Those who are popular in the fitness industry who want to improve their image may need training on the types of photos they post online and how subtle adjustments in the way they pose can be the difference between posting fitness inspiration or something suggestive.

Defuse Situations

There is always the chance your public image can take a hit, whether it was a miscommunication or someone in your business said something offensive. Of course, this is less likely to happen with communication training, which is the reason training is imperative for all employees from the beginning. If a problem arises, you need coaching on how to handle the situation. Ignoring the issue or being unprofessional in how you handle the situation will escalate the problem quickly and could do irreparable damage. Your consultants can help you cultivate a post, video, or statement that is appropriate. Other actions you may need to take will depend on the specific situation and how much "damage control" needs to be done; this can involve sensitivity training, having someone leave their position within the company, or even firing the culprit.

Many communication issues could be avoided with common sense and training. To protect your brand and minimize mishaps, communication consulting is worth the investment from the beginning.

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