do i really need a social media policy?

Source: Salesforce.com

This is a question that comes up quite a bit. Here’s how I answer the question…with more questions:

• Do you want to let your employees know what they can/should do on social media channels? 
  
• Do you care how your brand is represented on various social networks?

If the answer is “yes” – which I hope it is – then I would say that having a social media policy is a good idea.

Social media policies can take different forms and the 2 major pieces to consider are:

• Individual employee use of social media 
• Social media usage on behalf of the brand, i.e. the company’s official brand on social media networks

With regard to employee usage, companies will often let employees know what is and is not acceptable in terms of personal social media usage. While I don’t want to get into specifics as they relate to IT and HR (and usually Legal teams), it is important to note that employees will frequently associate themselves with their employers on these networks so, as one example, you may want them to include a statement indicating that “their opinions are their own” and not a representation of the company’s point of view.

In terms of policies that speak to social media usage by those who represent the brand, there are many considerations; I have worked on policies for large companies that designate specifics like how an About statement should be set up on each social network, who is responsible for responding to comments and within what timeframe. There are also triage charts complete with if/then flowcharts for both positive and negative comments. Typically, these policies need to be reviewed by the Legal team, as well as Human Resources, and involve various stakeholders.

What about policies for smaller organizations that don’t necessarily want to apply so many constraints? There are many examples of these – most of them publicly available - and here are some questions that will help you determine what will work best for your organization. Think about these questions as the start of a needs assessment and really consider all of the potential situations that could arise – or already have:

1. Do you want to specify how your brand should be represented on social media channels? This might include logos, company and product descriptions, etc.
2. Should there be an approval process for content postings? If you are in a regulated industry, this might be a crucial part of your policy.
3. What do you want to tell employees about crisis communications, if anything? What would you want to happen if someone posted a negative comment about your company on a social media account?
4. Do you want to provide any expectations about response time? For example, what if a salesperson who has been Tweeting about the company receives an @mention on Twitter or a direct message and it takes 3 days for him/her to respond?
   

While it may seem limiting to have a formal policy, I would argue that it brings legitimacy to your efforts, as well as a sense of commitment to doing things correctly and consistently. It’s also a way to show your key stakeholders that you are prepared – for the good and the bad. A good social media policy is also constantly evolving; what may work today will probably need some adjustments next year. If that happens, it means that you’ve made progress and that your company is embracing social media.

Do you have a great social media policy that you want to share or have you seen a good example of one? Please share it!

Cheers,
Renay

---