How to Behave Online: A Panel Discussion

An education panel at the recent JA New York show covered social media etiquette for businesses and how to behave yourself when others don’t.

Michelle Graff michelle.graff@nationaljeweler.com

New York--Social media is a topic that gets a lot of coverage in the jewelry industry.

Retailers want to know what platforms are best for their business, what to post there, and where and how to spend their marketing dollars online.

One aspect of this world that does not get a ton of coverage, however, is how to behave online as a business, and how to react when others don’t.

Social media etiquette was the topic of an education session held last Monday afternoon at the JA New York show.

Prompted by an ugly exchange that erupted on Facebook earlier this year, the session featured four panelists: Levi Higgs, the archives and social media manager at David Webb; Dino Kuckovic, the customer experience manager at Falcon.io, a social media and customer experience management platform; Matthew Perosi of digital service agency Sapphire Collaborative; and attorney and author Joy Butler.

National Jeweler Associate Editor Ashley Davis served as the moderator.

The session opened with Kuckovic and Perosi offering some very simple advice when asked for an overall perspective on online behavior for businesses.

Be nice, Kuckovic said, and re-read what you write before posting, while Perosi advised taking into account two factors before deciding to share something.

No. 1: Ask yourself, is what I am posting worthwhile content for my business or a personal opinion? (If it’s an opinion, he said, keep it on your personal account.)

No. 2: Be careful when using humor, as that doesn’t always translate so well online or, for those companies that sell overseas, into other languages.

Butler, who is the author of “The Cyber Citizen’s Guide Through the Legal Jungle: Internet Law For Your Professional Online Presence,” opened with some legal advice about social media.

She said those using social media “influencers” to help generate buzz online must disclose in the post that the person is being compensated, whether it’s with cash or free product. Influencer disclosure, or lack thereof, has been an area of particular interest for the Federal Trade Commission this year.

Sweepstakes and contests, a common share for jewelers on social media, must be “no purchase necessary.” Otherwise, she said, what is being run is essentially an illegal lottery.

Butler also noted that those sharing on social media need to be wary of not violating any copyrights or trademarks. If, for example, a jeweler wanted to make a video to share on social media, they cannot

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just use any song they would like as a soundtrack; songs, like movies and books, are subject to copyright protection.

The group also addressed authenticity--having a message that resonates and doesn’t seem forced or staged--something that even the biggest brands can struggle with in the social space. One example is Pepsi and the beverage brand’s recent fail with its Kendall Jenner protest ad, a spot that AdWeek described as “tone-deaf.”

So, how can jewelry brands and stores with a long history be authentic online today?

Higgs said the challenge for them at David Webb is that their namesake has passed away (Webb died in 1975) so they cannot use the original designer as a primary source. But what they can, and do, do is use the brand’s archives to get a sense of the look and feel of the brand and then translate that online, creating an Instagram feed that is bold and colorful.

Kuckovic added that social media events like “Throwback Thursday” (#TBT) offer jewelry brands and stores with a long history a great opportunity to reflect on that history and share with followers.

The group also discussed venting and bickering online and the subject that most often leads to both today--politics.

For a legal perspective, Butler said that while bickering and venting online certainly is legal, there is a point where it crosses into libel, a published or written statement that is both false and damaging to a person’s reputation.

You can, for example, say that all the jewelry in store A is ugly, but you cannot say that all the jewelry in store A is stolen, she said.

The consensus among the group was not to engage in too much back-and-forth online but, rather, if there is a disagreement, to reply once online to show you are acknowledging the issue and then offer to take the conversation offline.

They advised against getting into protracted arguments on social media sites, and Perosi and Kuckovic both said they would avoid getting into politics on business accounts entirely.

“You’re selling beautiful objects. Portray a beautiful attitude. Display that online,” Perosi said.

Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.