FAQs

The first step in launching your channel is to conduct thorough strategic planning. Next comes the important, standardized process of registering your new social media channel in the MIRA database. Your project or channel needs to be approved locally first, i.e., in your division or country. It is then entered in the central MIRA social media registry. After the global social media expert has reviewed all of the data, your channel can go live.

For more information visit Channel Approval & Setup

Strategic planning of your communications activities is essential when choosing the appropriate social media platform. By defining your communications objectives, relevant target groups, their media consumption and key topics, you will be able to identify the ideal platform for your needs.

For more information visit:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

YouTube

All Bayer employees are subject to MARGO 2030 guidelines, which govern social media usage by employees and channel administrators. Additionally, all divisions and a number of countries also have their own distinct guidelines. Adhering to the guidelines in your jurisdiction ensures legal compliance, as well as a strategic focus on each division’s target group. For reference, we have compiled a list of all important guidelines.

Corporate social media channels are subject to a variety of legal requirements, and these should be kept in mind during every phase throughout your strategic planning. To facilitate this process, we have compiled a checklist of the most important legal requirements, ranging from naming a channel to outlining rules about sharing company details or making comments.

Legal Requirements for Social Media Channels

You have a variety of assistance options when it comes to community engagement. For example, you can find tips on monitoring, how to approach your target groups, and how to categorize comments there. If you have further questions on how to manage your channels, you can find the right contact person under “Contacts.” If there are critical comments that could potentially cause major damage to Bayer, please contact your local (digital) communications department right away.

For more information visit: 

Community Engagement

Bayer Community Guidelines

Whenever any reports of adverse side-effects appear on your page, it is important to hide the comment and forward the information to Pharmacovigilance.

Refer to the exact steps outlined on the Crisis Communication & Adverse Events page.

In a crisis situation, it is always important to be familiar with the responsible contact person at the company and to assemble a crisis team as quickly as possible. Further information can be found in the Crises & Side Effects section.

For more information visit Crisis Communication & Adverse Events

Regular monitoring is an essential part of running a successful social media channel. Therefore, you should take this task into consideration when planning your resources. This way, you can detect negative comments early on or – in the event of a crisis – use this data to locate the trouble spot, better assess the crisis potential and react quickly and efficiently. For Bayer, as a global Life Science company, daily monitoring for possible contributions on the subject of product side effects is particularly crucial. With this in mind, please check your analyses at least once a day. Bayer offers specific training on the proper conduct for pharmacovigilance.

For more information visit Channel Management

In our online communications, as elsewhere, Bayer strives to present a uniform image and ensure that the company’s various corporate channels are consistent with one another. To that end, we have introduced certain standards for content as well as for the design of posts, with a focus on our core values visionary, optimistic and passionate. Separate rules apply to brand channels, and these can be found on our digital marketing portals.

For more information visit:

Design Principles

Key Design Elements Overview

To manage your channel over the medium to long term, you should plan your content at least six to eight weeks in advance. Early planning will make it possible for you to collaborate with colleagues from other departments or other countries, including aligning content with global channels. Coordinated planning of topics and assets reduces creation costs and promotes a more uniform image of Bayer and our team-based approach. We offer a variety of tools (e.g., Sprinklr) to facilitate clear content and channel planning.

For more information visit Social Media Content

Tools can help you generate added value in various aspects of your social media activities. Your needs will determine which tools are most appropriate for you. Their strengths may include compiling an editorial calendar and general channel management, but also data analysis and social media listening. You will find a selection of available tools in the services section.

For more information visit Social Media Tools

You can find a beginner and advanced guide, as well as other social trainings, HERE. Large group training sessions are also available, please reach out to social.media@bayer.com and someone from the Global Comms team will be in touch. 

Bayer recognizes the opportunities that social networks have to offer, so their use is permitted on all internal devices. However, they should never interfere with your work. If you would like to participate professionally in discussions on social media, we support you through our advocacy program.

For more information visit:

Employees in Social Media

Private Social Media Use

As a social network user, you are participating in public dialogue and thus part of the public sphere. You are therefore responsible for your posts and are required to follow applicable laws. Avoid using the pronoun “we” so that you will not be perceived as speaking for the company. Of course, Bayer supports freedom of expression and the respectful treatment of others, including on social networks. Important information about posting and commenting can be found in the employee section.

On social networks, as elsewhere, it is impossible to prevent negative responses. Emotional outbursts are best ignored, since it is often impossible to follow up with an objective discussion. Insults and abusive language should be reported to the respective platform. Rather than responding to critical comments about Bayer on your own, please direct the user to Bayer’s official channels so that social media professionals can respond. Unauthorized responses to critical comments can be very damaging.

For more information visit Private Social Media Use

You do not need to register your private channels in MIRA because they are your personal profiles. Bayer is therefore not legally responsible for them. If you write about Bayer or topics relevant to Bayer on social media, please make sure Bayer is shown as your employer in your account information. Please ensure not to give the impression that you are officially speaking on behalf of Bayer (use “I” instead of “we”). We have compiled a number of additional tips on private social media use. These can be found in the “Private Social Media Use” section of the Digital Guide.

For more information visit Private Social Media Use

The role of social media advocate provides added value for Bayer and—most of all—for you personally. As an advocate, your expertise allows you to publish your own content to expand your network. In doing so, you are able to connect with your target group and recognize trends in the industry early on, which benefits both you and Bayer.

For more information visit How and Why to Become an Advocate

Be social! We've created in-depth guides for anyone at Bayer to help you get started or build your social media presence. For further information, please contact social063dce099bdd4a89ad51bbea5347d940.media@cf93f1173cd547d8b56fddbb443ad5f9bayer.com.

For more information visit How and Why to Become an Advocate

Bayer recognizes the opportunities that social networks have to offer, so their use is permitted on all internal devices. However, they should never interfere with your work. If you would like to participate professionally in discussions on social media, we support you through our advocacy program.

For more information visit Private Social Media Use

As members of the Global Comms Team, we are here to support you. We welcome any questions you might have and you can find the individual areas of responsibility in the Digital Guide under “Contacts.” There you can find general contact options, individual contacts for emergencies, and contacts within the divisions and for IT.