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Today’s social media landscape has evolved significantly from what it was ten years ago.
With increased usage and visibility, the stakes for brands using these platforms are higher, making a social media policy essential rather than optional.
A comprehensive social media policy clearly defines rules and best practices to help employees and anyone managing the brand’s profiles use these platforms effectively and responsibly.
It’s crucial for everyone involved in shaping the brand’s public image to fully understand their roles and expectations.
Such a policy informs them on how to behave in ways that reflect the brand’s values, objectives, and aspirations, thereby driving the company forward.
Moreover, a robust policy can help prevent security issues, legal problems, reputational harm, and public relations disasters.
Before drafting a comprehensive social media policy, it’s crucial to acknowledge that not every scenario can be anticipated.
Engaging with various organizational teams can unveil considerations and challenges you might not have thought of on your own.
For instance, your customer service team has insights into how your audience perceives your brand, their social media habits, and their expectations from your channels.
Your IT team will have knowledge about managing and safeguarding channel security.
Therefore, assembling a social media policy team is essential. While not everyone should influence every aspect of the policy, selected representatives should contribute their perspectives and ideas.
Your social media policy team should comprise members from:
With a well-rounded team established, you can begin to formulate your brand’s social media policy.
The writing of the policy can be broken down into seven steps, with an additional four steps dedicated to its implementation. It’s crucial to understand that these last four steps are as vital as the initial seven.
Omitting any step—whether it’s implementation, updating, or enforcement—can render your social media policy ineffective in guiding your team and safeguarding your brand.
To assist in the development of your policy, we’ve provided a detailed explanation.
Additionally, you’ll find a downloadable PDF here that includes a series of questions to consider at each stage to help you begin.
The initial step in developing an effective social media policy is to establish its purpose. By clearly communicating why the document is being created, you enhance its usage and simplify for team members the understanding of who should use it and when.
Although a social media policy typically applies to any form of social interaction, including comments on company blogs and various social media platforms, explicitly listing these venues can alleviate confusion and serve as an official record of which platforms are sanctioned and owned by your brand, as well as those that employees or team members are permitted to use.
Determine the specific scenarios your policy should address and identify the intended audience for its guidance. Clearly outline which situations are included under the policy and which are exempt.
Social media usage comes with numerous risks, some of which are particularly unique to your industry and can catch your brand off guard.
For instance, those in the finance sector must adhere to FCC regulations and other specific rules, while healthcare professionals are bound by HIPAA and additional regulations.
Beyond these industry-specific concerns, there are also common risks such as PR crises, security breaches, violations of intellectual property, and more.
To ensure your social media policy is comprehensive, compile a list of as many general and specific risks as possible. This will guide you in determining the necessary inclusions for your policy.
With a clear understanding of the risks involved, it’s time to begin drafting the various procedures and guidelines that your team members will adhere to.
Start by defining what content is permitted and what is prohibited on the company’s social media accounts. Determine who will have access to these accounts and the necessary security measures to be implemented.
Consider whether to allow comments on all your posts, specify what is acceptable within those comments, and establish protocols for handling any comments or posts that need to be removed.
Create a clear process for granting and revoking access to your social media accounts.
Finally, establish the rules and guidelines that employees and other representatives must follow when posting content related to the brand or when identifying themselves as affiliates of the company.
Often, mistakes occur or problems are overlooked not because employees lack the knowledge to address them, but because there is uncertainty about who is accountable and what procedures the company wishes to follow.
For instance, you should determine who is responsible for monitoring, listening, responding to, and managing your social media profiles, promotions, and paid advertisements.
Clarify and document approval processes, reporting systems, posting restrictions, and other relevant details.
Additionally, it’s important to plan for scenarios that fall outside regular social media activities, such as handling responsibilities during employee absences and deciding who will conduct social media training.
Whether or not your industry is governed by regulators like the FCC, you will definitely need to adhere to data privacy laws, intellectual property regulations, and advertising standards.
It’s essential to include an overview of these legal requirements in your social media policy, explaining what is necessary for those using social media to understand.
Remember: While some regulations might seem straightforward to you, they may not be apparent to everyone.
Ensure no critical rules are omitted. Provide more detailed documents—written in clear, simple language and designed for quick reference—as needed.
Brands require careful handling to maintain consistency in updates and content. Clearly detail and explain the desired voice and style for your company’s social media channels.
Offer users numerous examples of what types of updates are acceptable and what are not. Consider including links to official style guides to aid in understanding.
Lastly, clarify the primary purpose of your social media channels. Determine whether your brand will engage with audience questions or provide customer service through social media platforms.
No matter how meticulous or well-prepared you are, facing a crisis is inevitable. You must have a plan in place for such scenarios.
Consider what steps to take if there is a violation of advertising or intellectual property rules. What actions are required if a PR disaster unfolds or if there’s a breach of any rule, regulation, law, or guideline?
Ensure there is a defined procedure for handling situations where an account or user is compromised. Include links and contact details like email addresses for each network to facilitate immediate communication.
Beyond social media, you need to plan for PR crises that could occur offline. If a tragedy strikes, how will communication be handled with vendors, customers, and the public? Who will draft these messages and who must approve them?
The development of your social media policy doesn’t conclude with the final draft.
Even the most comprehensive policy will be ineffective if it’s not properly implemented, actively used, regularly updated, and consistently enforced.
To ensure that employees and team members adhere to the social media policy, it must be readily accessible and distributed to everyone.
Distribute the policy via email and announce it through internal communication channels. Consider conducting a video walkthrough of the document to ensure clarity. Make sure everyone knows that it is available and complete.
Place the policy in a location that is easy for everyone to access. Additionally, include it in onboarding packages and provide it to anyone who might communicate on behalf of or promote the brand.
(Consider creating a version of the policy for customers, your target audience, and other external parties as well.)
One of the simplest and most effective strategies to motivate employees to share company news and updates while preventing problems is to provide access to approved assets.
Make logos, approved images, discount codes, and other resources available in an easily accessible location for all employees.
To further facilitate easy sharing of updates, consider setting up an internal communication channel that keeps everyone informed about new announcements, recently published information, and updated assets.
Social media landscapes and organizational needs evolve rapidly. Although your social media policy won’t require daily or weekly revisions, it does necessitate regular updates to remain effective.
Allowing it to become outdated could potentially do more harm than good. For instance, operating with an outdated security protocol could be detrimental if one of your accounts is compromised.
Establish a schedule for updating the social media policy to ensure it’s maintained properly. This also provides an excellent chance to remind everyone about the policy and refresh their understanding of its procedures and guidelines.
Effective implementation of a social media policy starts with thorough training.
Not every employee needs to grasp all the details, but everyone should have a fundamental understanding of the policy’s guidelines and how they apply to their roles.
Additionally, it’s crucial to enforce the policy you’ve worked hard to develop. Conduct regular checks and audits to ensure compliance, and address any deviations from the guidelines promptly and appropriately.
Creating a social media policy requires an initial investment of time and effort, but it’s indispensable in today’s digital landscape.
This straightforward document equips your brand with the necessary tools and knowledge to prevent and manage crises effectively. By clarifying what is and isn’t permitted, it also empowers employees to confidently promote your brand on social media.
When executed correctly, this understanding fosters active and appropriate brand advocacy among your team members.
Original news from SearchEngineJournal
