As “social” continues to grow, so are the regulations. I find myself getting more tweets & updates about laws or regulations every single day. As a marketing professional, it’s extremely important to keep up with these changes, but it really is almost a full-time job. Sites like mashable.com make it a little easier, but it’s still very time consuming. The latest changes affecting brand pomotions came out December 22 with Facebook. Just when you think you have a social media plan nailed down with a client, along come more regulations!

For example, you can’t publicize or administer a promotion on Facebook if:

1. it is marketed to people who are under 18
2. the objective is to promote the following categories:

• gambling
• tobacco
• firearms
• prescription drugs
• gasoline

There are many more…take a look.

There is still much to be learned by brands on social media. The environment and it’s regulations are changing all the time. So, the lesson here is to do your homework and stay in the know!