Social business policy

Objectives and metrics for social media use

This policy provides guidance on how Buckles will use social media tools to deliver services.

Objectives and metrics for social media use

Business objectives in the use of social media tools are to:

  • Extend reach: Provide low-cost method to extend reach of existing Buckles messages online by building relationships with relevant audiences including intermediaries, stakeholders and key influencers.
  • Introduce new messages to new customers who interact using social media.
  • Interact with customers: Provide an additional, low-barrier method for audiences to interact with Buckles to provide feedback, seek help and suggest ideas. This may lead to new initiatives developed due to customer demand.
  • Encourage peer-to-peer business support:  Clients prefer to receive information from their current circles and sources of trust – social media promotes this.
  • Humanise our brand: Provide an informal, ‘human’ voice of the organisation to promote better understanding of and engagement with our messages.

Channel management

Style and tone of voice

In order to make Buckles content credible and effective in social media platforms, the style will be informal spoken-English, written and paraphrased for each channel.

Content principles

Content for our social media channels will be:

  • Relevant: to the communication channel and the audience
  • Apolitical and impartial.
  • Varied: the channels will cover a broad base of content types and sources to retain interest levels.
  • Re-publishable: to make it easy for others to re-publish our social media content, we will restrict our messages to short snippets of information with links back to more information on Buckles site.
  • Credible: while messages may occasionally be less formal than those appearing on the website, we will ensure we can defend their relevance to our objectives. Where possible, there will be an actual link to related content or a call to action, to make this credibility explicit.
  • Inclusive: In keeping with the knowledge-sharing culture of social media, we will pursue opportunities to signpost relevant content elsewhere and re-publish messages from stakeholders.
  • Monitored: for inappropriate content.
  • Responsive: Social media is monitored daily so we will respond to questions/feedback between business hours Monday to Friday, with an aim to respond within 1 business day
  • Our social media activities will be shut down over Christmas and Bank Holidays. Messages will be posted informing our customers that they can email enquiries@buckles-law.co.uk.

Types and sources of content

Content for our social media channels comprise a mix of “business as usual” communications and content produced exclusively for our social media channels.

Leveraging existing web content:

  • news items published on the website
  • marketing campaigns – information about events we are attending/organising, campaign materials we want to disseminate online
  • messages from internal communications teams relevant to a business audience.

Adding value with exclusive content:

  • Updates on Buckles movements (e.g. giving presentations/speeches to key stakeholders).
  • Announcements and coverage of events (e.g. pre-announcement and promotion of events we are organising/attending, trade shows where we have a stand, live coverage of events where there is significant interest beyond attendees.
  • Thought leadership (e.g. highlighting relevant research, events, awards etc  elsewhere on the web to position Buckles as the “thought leader” and reliable filter of quality business content).
  • Answering and asking questions: In the spirit of knowledge sharing and transparency, we will answer questions put to us via our social media websites. We may ask questions of our social media audiences for immediate customer insight.

Re-publishing external content

We will consider republishing information relevant to our audience and consistent with our website content policy from the following sources:

  • independent bodies and organisations
  • not-for-profit organisations.

The types of content we will consider re-publishing:

  • business related news
  • research findings and statistics
  • relevant industry/business networking events
  • relevant celebrations/commemorations such as awards, themed days (e.g. national no smoking day, zero waste week)
  • positive comments and feedback about Buckles.

Building networks and establishing links with external associations

We will build our social media networks and communities by establishing links within each social media tool. We will, for example, ‘follow’ (Twitter) ‘add to favourites’ (Facebook), ‘connect with’ (LinkedIn), ‘like/suggest’ (YouTube) other relevant organisations and professionals.

Link shortening

URLs may be shortened using link compressing sites to ensure simplicity for our customers and better use of Twitter’s 140 character message restriction.

Accessibility

Buckles aims to meet accessibility standards within the constraints of the social media tool or website we are using. For example, we provide content in plain and simple language and provide captions and transcripts for our videos.

Recent News

Ready to speak to a specialist?

Speak to any one of our lawyers from across Europe about your needs and specific requirements.