TECHNOLOGYSAFETY FIRST
Why you need a robust social media policy (and how to create one)...
Colin Thornton
Social media represents both an opportunity
and a threat. You can, for example,
broadcast both personal and company
views, and build rapport with customers or
potential customers. And, customers can
use it to publicly praise your brand. But it
can be harmful to the brand. Like when
Yelp employee Talia Jane went online to
protest against low pay, writing an open
letter to the Yelp CEO. Closer to home,
we've seen politicians making statements
which have resulted in a backlash from the
public and apologies from their parties.
There are many stories like this; scenarios in
which companies have suffered enormous
reputational damage from online rants and
individual social media "campaigns".While it's nearly impossible to maintain full
control, and arguably, you should not aspire
to do so; these policies can be used to
educate employees on the dangers of social
media. They should be designed to protect
the integrity of both employees and the
companies they work for. And, they should
provide guidelines to help your team to stay
on the right side of the increasingly blurred
line between personal and professional
social media use.WHY YOU NEED A POLICY
A social media policy outlines how your
business and employees should conduct
themselves online. It helps to safeguard the
brand's reputation and should encourage
employees to share the company's messagein a responsible and intelligent way.
Because social media is constantly evolving,
the policy should be considered a living
document; updates, edits, changes, etc., will
be necessary.Aim to provide guidelines that are easy to
follow. And while the rules may be bent
and mistakes made, the guidelines are there
to keep everyone within bounds and the
organisation out of trouble.Whether your company is established on
social forums, or just beginning to build a
presence online, you should have a robust
social media policy in place. A good policy
document helps to:▪ Guard against reputational damage. By
clearly explaining to your employees how
best to represent the company online, and
including what they can and cannot share
or post, you will mitigate the threat of
irreversible reputational harm. In addition,
a clear social media policy will explain what
action needs to be taken in the event of
online shaming, social media bullying or
toxic comments.▪ Encourage employees to become brand
ambassadors. Your social media policy can
be enormously helpful when it comes to
brand amplification. It taps into your biggest
advocacy group; your employees. Indeed,
company messaging is often considered
more credible when it comes from actual
people, particularly if they genuinely buyinto your company and its mission.Clear guidelines will help your employees
understand how to use social media
to promote the brand. And if you plan
to use your social media policy as an
employee advocacy tool, make sure that
the document outlines best practices for
sharing company content on social, as
well as commenting online.WHAT TO INCLUDE
Your document should include policies for
the company's official accounts as well
as employees' personal accounts. While
there may be some overlap, each requires
individual attention.RULES AND REGULATIONS: In
this section, outline your company's
expectations for appropriate employee
behaviour and conduct (on behalf of
the company or personal) on social
media. For example, restricting the use
of profanities or controversial opinions
when posting about the company. A few
specifics to include:▪ Brand guidelines: How to talk about your
company and products.▪ Etiquette and engagement: Outline
how you want employees to respond
to mentions of your brand (positive and
negative).▪ Confidentiality: Defines what company