Social Media in the Workplace

Social Media in the Workplace: How to Effectively Balance Personal & Professional Accounts

CEO of Angles and Insights Suzanne McDonald spoke to undergraduate students at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island about best practices for social media use in the workplace.

Topics discussed include brand awareness, leveraging professional and personal accounts, legal considerations, and networking. 

Social Media in the Workplace

Here’s a list of top takeaways about what you need to know about balancing your social media in and out of the office:

  • Understand the legal consequences of using social media in both professional and personal accounts. There are some common legalities to consider, but also be aware of any stipulations your company may have against personal social media use.
  • Examine the social media networks you use. Understand the objective of each social media platform, then identify the objective you want to accomplish, respectively.
  • Be thoughtful about what you post on your personal accounts—you never know who is paying attention.
  • Think visually. How do you want to portray your professional brand? Your personal brand? Use a combination of clear, engaging visuals (photos, videos, infographics, etc.) that best fit your objectives and the corresponding social media platform
  • Use your time wisely by using a social media scheduler! Apps like Hootsuite, Tweepi, TailWind and Google Trends can help you plan your content.
  • Networking on social media is an amazing opportunity—and it’s not only reserved for LinkedIn. Expand your network by joining groups, engaging with businesses and influencers by sharing content and tagging, reconnecting with former co-workers and friends
  • Continue learning and growing! The digital landscape changes all of the time, so it’s important to stay in-the-know about the upcoming trends. 

[View the full Slideshare presentation]


About Suzanne McDonald 

Former Boston Globe journalist and CEO of Angles & Insights marketing consultancy, Suzanne is an omnivore of all things new media & client success. She’s pioneered award-winning courses at area universities and digital marketing campaigns, including “Best Viral Video Award” for #Ticknado and “Internet / New Media Company of the Year” at the International Business Awards. 

Suzanne also founded and curates Newport Interactive Marketers networking-learning community, providing marketing insights to SEO, social, PR & content pros and to brands and nonprofits big and small. 

Suzanne holds a master’s in Mass Communications and Journalism from University of South Carolina and engineered a BA into a journalism program at Framingham State University, magna cum laude. 

She has 15 years’ experience at daily newspapers, 6 at The Boston Globe, until she took a voluntary buyout to launch Designated Editor in 2008. In 2015, Suzanne launched Angles & Insights to better reflect her expanded abilities to meet clients’ needs beyond SEO, social & content.