ICM CBQ Award in Social Media Management

LO1 Understand how to safely use a range of social media platforms for personal use

Examples of content that must not be posted on a private social media profile

• Personal identification information: home address, phone number, birth certificate, national insurance number, etc
• Sensitive financial information, confidential work information: internal memos or emails, unreleased product information, etc
• Personal health information
• Offensive material
• Relationship disputes
• Family problems
• Legal issues
• Embarrassing content
• Compromising content
• Passwords or security information
• Misinformation
• Unverified information

Digital footprints: trail left after using the internet, passive and active digital footprint. 

Impact digital footprints can have on an individual: privacy risks, impact on reputation, legal issues, financial impact, and social and psychological impacts.

Social media platforms for personal use: including but not limited to: Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly twitter), Pinterest, Threads, youtube, Twitch, Reddit, tiktok, linkedin, discord, Snapchat. 

Hazards of social media to individuals: privacy risks (data mining, data exposure), Cyberbullying and harassment, mental health issues, professional and academic consequences, security threats, social and relationship issues, misinformation and fake news, legal risks, personal safety, and risks to children.

LO2 Be able to safely use a range of social media platforms for personal use 

Accessing privacy settings: settings on websites, settings on applications, settings on different platforms, finding the settings.

Creating a social media account for personal usage: choosing the platform, setting the profile, selecting a username, choosing a password, and profile pictures.

Reporting inappropriate content: platform policies, options on different platforms, reporting to the police or local authorities.

Editing an existing post: when to edit content, how to edit on different platforms, deleting content.

Deleting a social media account: why delete, how to on various platforms, what content will remain.

LO3 Understand how to safely use a range of social media platforms for commercial use

Impact digital footprint can have on an organisation: reputational management, customer trust and engagement, marketing and analytics, security risks, legal and regulatory compliance, and competitive intelligence.

Examples of content that must not be posted on a commercial social media profile: are offensive or hateful content, explicit or inappropriate imagery, false or misleading imagery, confidential or proprietary information, spam, phishing content, insensitive or inappropriate comments, negative or defamatory remarks, politically charged content, off-brand or irrelevant content, violations of intellectual property rights.

Appropriate social media platforms for commercial usage: including but not limited to: Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly twitter), Pinterest, Threads, youtube, Twitch, Reddit, tiktok, linkedin, discord, Snapchat, assessing intended audience, determine intended content.

Social media hazards to commercial companies: reputational management, customer trust and engagement, marketing and analytics, security risks, legal and regulatory compliance, competitive intelligence.

Benefits of verification on social media: authenticity and credibility, visibility and recognition, brand protection, improved engagement, access to certain features, status symbols, and streamlined communication.

LO4 Be able to safely use a range of social media platforms for commercial use

Creating an account for commercial usage: choosing the platform, setÝng the profile, selecting a username, choosing a password, profile pictures, paid pages, and verification.

Linking a personal and commercial account: cross promotions, sharing content across platforms, collaborations and partnerships, social media features, engaging with the audience, maintaining consistency, and social media management tools.

Designing a social media page for commercial purposes: brand management, pictures, text, associated pages, content interaction, interactions with other pages/profiles, paid adverts, monitoring performance, and consistency.

Identifying a robot (bot) account: profile characteristics, activity patterns, engagement metrics, content characteristics, network analysis, use of automation tools, and manual investigation.

Reporting an account: platform policies, options on different platforms, reporting to the police or local authorities.

LO5 Understand types of content for social media platforms

Impact of hashtag usage on social media: enhanced discoverability, increased reach and visibility, boosted engagement, build brand awareness and identity, tracking and analytics, connected communities, influence algorithm reach, potential issues with hashtag usage (linked with controversial or sensitive topics, overuse of hashtags).

The most appropriate content for a specific social media platform

(The list is accurate as of 2024, change and add teaching content as the social media platforms change and adapt)

• Facebook: varied
• Instagram: visual-centric content
• X (formerly Twitter): short form content
• LinkedIn: professional and career-focused content)
• YouTube: video content
• TikTok: short from video content
• Identifying the audience
• Consider content

How to identify a social media trend: monitor hashtags, follow influencers and trendsetters, monitor news and current events, use social media analytics, explore and discover features, engage with the audience, use trend research tools, stay active, and experiment.

LO6 Be able to create content for social media

Creating a text-based post for a social media platform: consider the audience, platform, length, appropriate language for social media, and formality.

Creating a picture-based post for a social media platform: taking a picture, copyright, legality, appropriate imagery, paying attention to background, descriptions.

Creating a short-form video for a social media platform: taking a video, editing a video, considering intention, copyright, and sounds.

Designing a long-form video for a social media platform: taking a video, editing a video, considering intention, copyright, and sounds.

‍Using appropriate hashtags for a social media post: content, number of hashtags, appropriate hashtags, relevant hashtags.