Last December, I had the pleasure of speaking at the annual Insurance Executive Conference. Our session focused on how the insurance industry should be thinking about the ways social media platforms might transform how this industry relates to, and communicates with, our audiences. Based on the discussion we had that day, here are 10 key considerations as you ponder how you build your policies moving forward.

Don't Just React to Regulation; Develop Proactive, Commonsense Policies

Last year, Peppercomm co-hosted a roundtable with PRWeek in which we discussed the current regulatory environment. FINRA requires companies keep track of all their online marketing/communications. The FTC requires that, if anyone who has a material connection with an organization is talking about said company (or competitors), they need to provide proper disclosure of that relationship. And the NLRB has been issuing guidance increasingly indicating that employees and other professionals should have a reasonable right to talk about their professional lives online. This can produce a nebulous environment to communicate in; but it also indicates that companies need to develop strategies that ultimately strike a balance among the tugs of compliance, transparency, and employee rights.