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A social media policy is a crucial tool for any organization—even if your organization doesn’t use social media.
What is a social media policy?
A social media policy is an official company document that provides guidelines and requirements for your organization’s social media use. It covers your brand’s official channels, as well as how employees use social media, both personally and professionally.
The policy applies to everyone from the CEO to summer interns, so it needs to be easy to understand. It can be part of a wider social media marketing strategy, or it can live with onboarding materials and other company policies.
Why do you need a social media policy for employees?
An official company social media policy is an important document. It helps maintain your brand voice while mitigating social media risks. Here are some of the most important reasons to implement a social media policy.
Maintain your brand identity across channels
You likely have multiple people managing multiple accounts across multiple channels. A solid social media policy keeps things consistent and on-brand.
Protect yourself from legal and regulatory challenges
A well-crafted and enforced social policy protects you from falling afoul of rules and regulations. The consequences of breaking them can be major.
For instance, insurance company MassMutual was fined $4 million, subjected to a social media compliance review, and ordered to revise its social media policies after a trader for subsidiary MML Investors Services helped fuel the GameStop trading frenzy through social channels.
Facilitate diversity and inclusion
Kansas State University recently created a social media policy for students to facilitate inclusion and diversity on campus. Among other requirements, it bans cyberbullying and doxing, as well as “comments or conduct constituting discrimination, harassment [or] retaliation.”
Prevent a security breach
A solid social media policy combined with proper security protocols helps protect your accounts against phishing, hacking, and impostor accounts.
Respond quickly if a crisis or breach does happen
Despite your best efforts, a breach or crisis could still happen. Sometimes the violation or crisis comes from a part of the organization that has nothing to do with social media. You’ll still be expected to address it on social channels. A social policy makes sure you have an emergency response plan in place.
Clarify employees’ social media responsibilities
A Tennessee judge was recently sanctioned for sending inappropriate messages to women from accounts that showed him in his judicial robe.
The reprimand letter states:
Judges are expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct and dignity of judicial office at all times … There is no exception to this principle for the use of social media.
Encourage your employees to amplify your brand’s message
All of that said, you don’t want to discourage employees from amplifying your brand message on social media. A clear social policy helps employees know what they can and should share on social, and what they should skip.
What should your social media policy include?
1. Roles and responsibilities in film
2. Security protocols in film
3. A plan of action for a security or aksi film
4. An outline on how to comply with the making movies
5. Guidance for actor film social media accounts
