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Companies see social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as an opportunity to interact directly with customers and promote their brand.
However, this openness comes with risks. Without proper safeguards in place, social content can damage a brand’s reputation and cause legal issues.
The problem with a typical social media content approval process is it can slow down your ability to publish fast enough. Social media moves FAST, and if it takes a week to approve a single post you're going to miss out on the best window for conversation and maximum engagement.
By having a clear and efficient content approval process in place, your company can avoid costly mistakes, ensure that all posts on the content calendar meet the required quality standards -- and stay relevant.
Whether you're an agency or a brand, this article will share some tips on how to work together to manage and improve your social media approval workflow.
Read on to learn:
- How to protect your brand or client's reputation
- How to ensure consistent messaging
- How to streamline content creation and distribution
- How to identify key stakeholders in the client approval process
- How to establish clear roles and responsibilities
- How to develop a comprehensive content approval checklist
Protecting Reputations
A well-management social media approval process safeguards a brand's reputation.
By having a system in place for reviewing and approving content, you can catch potentially negative or harmful content before it's posted.
Approval systems will ensure that all messaging aligns with the company's values and objectives, and maintains a consistent tone and voice.
Any posts that could potentially damage reputation will be flagged during the approval process and prevented from being published.
Ensuring Consistent Messaging
A well-defined approval process can help control the kind of content that's posted across all social media platforms to ensure that messaging aligns with branding and marketing objectives.
This helps to reinforce the brand's identity and make it more recognizable to customers.
For example, if a company uses multiple social media channels, the approval process will be a chance to double-check that the messaging and tone is consistent throughout.
Streamlining Content Creation and Distribution
Streamlined content creation and distribution are important for any social media marketing strategy.
With a content approval workflow in place, clear guidelines for how content is created and distributed can be established.
This will provide a framework for the social media team to follow, ensuring that the content plan is optimized for each social network and adjusted accordingly. The framework can include guidelines for the type of content that should be posted, the tone of the messaging and frequency of social posts - improving efficiency, and saving time and resources.
Identifying Key Stakeholders in the Approval Process
The approval process involves multiple stakeholders who will require different levels of involvement.
Identifying these stakeholders is critical to ensuring the approval process runs smoothly and efficiently.
Content Creators
Content creators are responsible for generating social media content and are the first point of contact in the approval process. To maintain a smooth social media workflow, content creators must follow the established procedures for creating content and submit it for approval in a timely manner.
Social Media Managers
Social media managers are responsible for overseeing the company's social media accounts. Part of their role is to ensure that all content aligns with the company's objectives and messaging, and meets all legal and regulatory requirements.
Marketing Team
The marketing team is responsible for developing the overall marketing strategy. They will determine the objectives for social media content and ensure that all content aligns with the overall goals of the company.
Legal and Compliance Departments
The legal team and compliance departments are responsible for ensuring that all content meets the necessary legal and regulatory requirements. They will evaluate all content for potential legal and compliance risks and provide input on how to mitigate them.
Establishing Clear Roles and Responsibilities
One way to establish clear roles is to create a document that outlines the responsibilities of each stakeholder. This document should be shared with everyone involved in the approval process so that they understand their role and how it fits into the larger social media content workflow.
Defining the Approval Workflow
The approval workflow defines the process of getting content approved, from submission to final approval. Clear workflows ensure that the approval process is efficient and transparent, and everyone knows the progress of each piece of content.
When defining the approval workflow, it is important to consider the different stages of the process. For example, who is responsible for submitting content for approval, who needs to approve the content, and who is responsible for publishing the content queues.
Having a clear understanding of the workflow will help ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the process runs smoothly.
Setting Expectations for Turnaround Times
Setting expectations for turnaround times and deadlines for approval is crucial in ensuring the smooth running of the whole process. Each stakeholder should know how long they have to approve posts and content. This ensures that content is approved promptly, avoiding delays in posting and distribution.
Turnaround times may vary depending on the type of content being approved. For example, a simple social media post may have a shorter turnaround time than a more complex piece of content such as a blog post or video.
Developing a Comprehensive Content Approval Checklist
A comprehensive content approval checklist is a vital tool in ensuring that all content meets the required quality standards. A thorough checklist includes checks for brand consistency, factual accuracy, tone, and voice, and legal and regulatory compliance.
Ensuring Brand Consistency
Consistency is key for building brand identity and increasing recognition. Ensuring that all content aligns with the company's brand values, identity, and objectives is critical in maintaining consistency. A checklist will help to ensure that all content is consistent, whatever the platform.
For instance, if the company's brand values are centered around sustainability, the checklist should verify that all content aligns with this value. This may include checking that all images used in the content are eco-friendly, or that the language used in the content reflects the company's commitment to sustainability.
Verifying Factual Accuracy
Verifying factual accuracy will maintain credibility with customers and avoiding legal issues. A checklist should include a review of all factual information contained in the content to ensure that it is correct before posting.
Assessing Tone and Voice
Assessing tone and voice will make sure that all content meets the company's messaging objectives. A checklist should include a review so that all content maintains a consistent tone and voice that aligns with the company's goals and values.
Confirming Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements
A checklist will help ensure that all social media content meets the necessary requirements, such as advertising codes, data protection regulations, and online conduct regulations.
For example, if the content includes a sponsored post, the checklist should verify that all advertising codes are met, such as clearly labeling the post as an advertisement. This will prevent any issues that may arise from misleading advertising practices.
Approval Processes for Agencies
Agencies have the unique challenge of needing to juggle multiple clients and manage many approval processes.
Having too many approval processes to run can be messy, and waiting for feedback can slow workflows down.
To streamline content creation and approval systems, consider partnering with a white label agency. A white label agency will produce high-quality content for your clients so you can take this task off your to-do list and focus on scaling your business.
Take MixBloom as an example.
You'd be assigned a dedicated social media manager that will take responsibility for your client's social media content creation and scheduling -- including researching and fact-checking posts. Your SMM answers to our lead manager, and you'd meet with both monthly to check in and review any changes to the strategy.
All posts are uploaded to our own MixBloom dashboard, where you or your client will be able to provide feedback and request (unlimited!) revisions directly on the platform, streamlining the entire approval process.
Beats juggling emails and Slack threads!
Achieve consistency in your social media efforts with MixBloom's reliable, white-label management services. Boost your agency's efficiency and watch your clients' satisfaction soar.
Begin your free trial today!
Conclusion
Creating an effective social media approval process is critical in safeguarding a brand's reputation.
By understanding the importance of social media approval processes, identifying key stakeholders, establishing clear roles and responsibilities, and developing a comprehensive content approval checklist, you can ensure that brand messages are consistent, accurate, and regulatory compliant.
Effective social media approval processes will streamline content creation and distribution, saving time and effort and mitigating the risks associated with social media use.
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