Channel Approval, Set-Up and Shut-Down

Channel Mapping and Resource Planning

If you are considering opening a new channel, having an understanding of the platform landscape is critical and consider the resources and setup to manage your channel long-term. Please make sure to get the necessary internal approvals for your channel before you publish it. The individual guidelines for approval vary depending on country and division. To help Bayer keep an overview over its social media operations and become active where necessary, all channels must be registered in the MIRA database.

For more context, check out these resources:
Read more about Bayer's approach to LinkedIn
Read more about Bayer's approach to Instagram
Read more about Bayer's approach to YouTube
Read more about Bayer's approach to Facebook
Read more about Bayer's approach to X

Prerequisites for Your New Channel

Are you planning on setting up a new channel? Before you begin, please check MIRA to see if there are any existing Bayer channels similar to the one you are planning. MIRA also helps you identify contact persons that manage related channels or with similar topics. Please be aware that the most efficient way to distribute your content may be by using an existing channel.

If there is still a need to establish a new channel, follow the guidelines below. You’ll need to satisfy each of the following three criteria across each sphere of influence:

1. Local: Get the internal approval for your channel, including legal approval
2. Central: Register your channel in the MIRA database before launching. To do so, please ask for a MIRA social asset account via mail:
   Europe: MIRA@bayer.com
   Latin America: bbsla_digitalmarketing@bayer.com
   North America: ITServiceDesk@bayer.com
3. Global: Immediately after registering a global channel in MIRA, the global social media expert will receive an email to review and approve your request, or follow up with questions.

Local — Internal Approval of Your Channel

If you wish to set up a new marketing channel, please contact your local and global marketing colleagues. If you wish to set up a corporate communications channel, please get in touch with your local social media / digital communications team/s. Take care of the necessary LMR approvals, if required. Once you have received all approvals, you may continue to set up your channel and follow the central registration process in MIRA.

Global — Register Your Channel

All new channels must be registered in MIRA and approved in MIRA by a global social media team member at least two weeks before they go live.

Legal Requirements for Social Media Channels

When setting up a new social media channel, you must comply with all legal requirements, including:

• Satisfying Bayer’s security and data protection protocols 

• Naming your channel according to Bayer guidelines 

• Complying with the provider’s terms of use 

• Integrating a comments policy to effectively handle inappropriate user reactions

• Providing an imprint for every social media channel 

• Providing a link to report adverse events

View templates

Shutting Down a Social Media Channel

There are many good reasons to shut down a social media channel, such as:

• Content that is obsolete.

• Major effort involved in maintaining / updating the channel.

• Channel is rarely or never accessed.

• Channel no longer fits in with your business, target group, or social media objectives.

• There is a higher-level or related channel into which you could integrate your channel’s content.

Should you choose to deactivate or shut down your channel, please follow these steps:

1. Back up all your channel’s important content.
2. Consider whether you need technical support from your IT department or should consult with your legal department about the content.
3. If necessary, consult with your data security or data privacy specialists.
4. Set up a redirect to your new channel as needed.
5. Inform users at least four weeks before you officially shut down the channel or move its content to a different channel. 
6. Explain the reasons (if applicable) for shutting down the channel / transferring the content.
7. Provide an email address (group email address) users can write to if they have questions.
8. Thank your users for their participation and support. Showing your appreciation is an easy way to keep the shutdown/transfer positive and gives you the opportunity to mention the good things that your channel had achieved or brought about.

If you have questions or need any help, please contact social.media@bayer.com