As a court, my organization seeks to inform the public about the
function of the court, the services that are available, and how the law
guides our processes and procedures. Our content is shared on
YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter with the intent of informing and
educating. Due to the legal and sensitive nature of our work, it is
difficult to build engagement and listening as comments are turned off
to eliminate the risk of negative comments and other inappropriate
behaviors by our employees and the public. To minimize legal risks and
inappropriate behavior, we have a clear social media policy that
addresses acceptable behavior, social media use during work hours and
on government property (SHRM, 2022).
We also do not have adequate staffing to continually monitor our
social media platforms effectively, which is another reason why our
engagement is low. Our IT team is constantly working to release
relevant content and to maintain a high level of cybersecurity to
protect the sensitive information that the processes daily.
Organizations can use social media externally to expand their market
reach, and to build relationships and trust through transparency,
engagement, and listening with their target audience. An organization
can also build credibility by demonstrating its commitment to social
responsibility (Charest, 2016, p. 532). Engaging in routine
communication with their target audience allows ongoing
dissemination of information, promotion of events and activities,
provides industry insights, and shows accessibility to the organization.
Internally, social media fosters open communication, transparency,
and collaboration as employees engage with the content through
comments, shares, and the exchange of ideas. Social media can also be
used for knowledge sharing, to provide training opportunities and to
support change management efforts within the organization (Clayton,
2015).
Social media allows organizations an opportunity to respond quickly
to public relations issues by demonstrating empathy, communicating
corrective responses, and rebuilding trust. As the organization monitors
the public sentiment, content can be published to sway public opinion
in the organization’s favor quickly and with a further reach than normal
mediums of communication.
Finally, social media can support the culture, vision, and mission of
the organization through strategic planning, including audience
targeting, recruitment, and training and development. Social media can
also influence organizational change, promote diversity and inclusion,
and build brand recognition and reputation (Charest, 2016, pp. 534-
535).
Reference
Charest, F., Bouffard, J., & Zajmovic, E. (2016). Public relations and
social media: Deliberate or creative strategic planning. Public
Relations Review 42(4), 530-538. https://doi-
org.exproxy.snhu.edu/10.1016/j.pubrev.2016.03.008
Clayton, S. (2015). Change Management Meets Social Media. Harvard
Business Review Digital Articles, 2-5.
SHRM. (2022, April 19). Managing and leveraging workplace use of social
media. SHRM.
b https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/tools-and-
sample/toolkits/Pages/managingsocialmedia,aspx b
