In today’s business environment, companies move at a rapid pace to provide customers with the best products and services—especially on social media. In times of a national or worldwide crisis when an event dominates online conversations, you need to be conscientious of what your company says on social channels—your own and others. A tweet that promotes your brand or uses inappropriate language during a sensitive situation can result in backlash from your customers, which could not only impact your reputation, but also affect sales.

To maintain a positive social image and relationship with customers, here are five social media best practices to consider during a crisis:

1. Review scheduled posts immediately. If you use a system to schedule posts in advance, review scheduled posts from both corporate and personal accounts immediately. Don’t use inappropriate words for the situation and avoid communications that could be...

The world is becoming more and more social, and so is the sales process. More than 93% of B2B marketers are using social media to reach customers. And more than 56% of B2B marketers acquired new customers using social media in 2011, while almost 60% of B2B marketers saw their search rankings improve after going social. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are the most popular platforms for B2B companies*.

Whether you agree with the Conan O’Brien Show that in the year 3000, “YouTube, Twitter and Facebook will merge to form one super time wasting web site called YouTwitFace.” (Or as I prefer, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook will merge into “InYouTwitFace.”) And whether your company has already jumped on the social bandwagon or not, as part of your partnership with Symantec, we want to help you go social or reinforce your social presence by sharing...