Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur the contributors are theirs.
A business owner works hard to build a strong and positive online reputation. Yet, as we’ve seen, it can be all too easy to make headlines for the things we post online. Even if these posts are on personal social media accounts, it only takes one outlet to make a headline and a business could suffer reputational damage.
Court Carl | Getty Images
It is possible to have both a professional reputation and a personal account that does not harm it. Yes. You only have to choose if you will express your opinions and interests freely, but in a very private way, or if you wish to carefully moderate your remarks and be more public. Here are some options for having a personal social media account if you run a business.
Don’t post it.
The safest option is to keep your personal accounts as moderate and professional as possible. This means that if you are going on a trip with your family and want to share it with your relatives and old classmates, you should be aware that the public can see this information. As your business grows, you may see one of these photos shared on social media with your business name mentioned, even if you didn’t intend your vacation to be related to your company. If you’ve done something controversial, it could even lead to boycotts and permanent damage to your reputation.
Related: 6 Keys to a Positive Online Presence and Reputation
Keep it undercover.
One of the best ways to create a private space for yourself is to lock down all of your personal accounts. You can set your Facebook page to friends only and hide the account from search results, both on Facebook and on public search engines. Set your Tweets to protected and make your primary photo one your associates and customers won’t recognize. You should also realize that this plan is not 100% foolproof. Unfortunately, even if you take great care of it, someone in your small social circle might choose to share your information publicly if it’s juicy enough.
Assign a personal social media moderator.
You can have a social media manager for your business, but that doesn’t extend to your personal accounts. Or maybe you don’t have a social media manager at all. Consider asking someone to moderate your personal posts, whether it’s your company’s social media user or someone new. You can even ask a trusted friend, relative or associate to review one of your posts before it goes live and offer advice on whether or not something might be harmful. If you’re concerned about your career, you might even consider implementing a social media strategy that could help you personally build a strong online brand, which will eventually lead to relationships that will help you professionally.
Related: Why Online Reputation Management Is Like Brushing Your Teeth
Use an alias.
If you think the restrictions are too stifling, consider setting up your social media profiles under a name that can’t be easily found by those who know you in your business. It could be a nickname you had in college, a maiden name, or a completely made up name that you only share with friends. The key is to make sure that if someone tries to find you on these sites, they can’t find you. For small business or new business owners, this plan could easily work for years, as only casual users will search for your name on various social media sites.
Related: 10 Steps to Building an Impeccable Professional Reputation
It is possible to have an active personal presence on social networks. By putting controls in place and making an effort to monitor what you say, you can interact with friends and family without putting your business at risk.
