10 "Must-Have" Social Media Policies

Last year, an employee posted a photo of himself licking taco shells on Taco Bell’s Facebook page. It went viral, became a public relations disaster and the company spent a great deal of time and money to recover.

We strongly recommend that you implement – as a basic measure – the following policies to manage your company’s social media. Feel free to copy it!

1. Clearly define who has permission to post, where and on what topics. As a general rule, limit access to employees in marketing and PR. 
2. This team should meet several times a year to refresh peoples’ understanding of policies. Set it out in writing.
3. Posting company related material on external entities such as personal blogs should include a disclaimer stating that the postings are their own and don’t necessarily reflect the company’s opinion. 
4. Staff should write in the first person to give a sense of individual accountability. 
5. Employees should act professionally when confronted with negative comments. That means zero tolerance for sarcasm, personal insults, ethnic slurs, obscenity and profanity. Ideally you will have discussed how to respond to different situations before they eventuate.
6. Be very precise on what is and is not considered confidential information and the parameters of what is allowed to be posted online.
7. Product knowledge and accuracy are a must. Staff are encouraged to trust their own judgment but when in doubt, should consult with management.
8. Let staff know that online misbehavior is as serious as improper conduct in the physical world and may result in disciplinary action.
9. Employees should give credit to people who share or retweet their messages, while avoiding too much marketing hype, which will turn followers off.
10. Keep everything short as much as possible. Be mindful of other people’s time. For example, a video longer than 60 seconds usually tends to disengage customers.

Ready to grow your business through Social Media? Go ahead, give us a nudge!