It’s great when team members proudly mention in their social profiles that they work for you. But to protect you both, it’s a good idea to ask them to clarify that they’re not creating social media posts on behalf of the brand. Include any relevant regulations in your social media guidelines for employees. Add specific examples that make the requirements easy for everyone to understand.
Social Media Best Practice Guidelines
That’s a powerful skill you’ve developed, which you can use to create a new social media policy from scratch, improve an existing policy, or edit a template. You might think it’s cheesy or out of place to include something so emotional in a social media policy. But it’s precisely because connection is so important that it deserves its place in this particular social media policy.
Your social media policy must provide clear guidelines on how to handle sensitive areas, particularly regarding the law and industry regulations. Legal requirements vary by country and state, so make sure you consult with your legal counsel. A well-crafted social media policy will provide a variety of benefits, like empowering your staff and protecting your brand. But to relish those benefits, your policy needs to outline clear, comprehensive guidance.
Especially employees like guides, personal trainers, and other public-facing staff. They are most likely to have customers follow them on social channels. Get a free, customizable social media policy template to quickly and easily create guidelines for your company and employees. Finally, social media guidelines should help maintain a positive online reputation by offering employees guidelines to stay on the right side of appropriateness and avoid ever looking insensitive.
What Is Social Media Compliance?
They guide your employees on what to post in case of an announcement for an event or an emergency. Every organization should take precautions to make sure their classified information isn’t shared recklessly on social media. But this is even more critical for government agencies like the U.S. As you review them, note how the key takeaways align with your own brand’s goals and compliance needs. Include guidelines on which AI tools are approved for use, and what tasks they can be used for. We’ve got a whole guide to AI compliance that can help you figure this out.
To get a sense of the different kinds of social media guidelines out there, we’ve broken these examples out by industry. Clarify that privacy and confidentiality should be respected across all social media platforms. Or, start with our free social media guidelines template, which you’ll find linked below. The FTC social media guidelines also require clear disclosure when an influencer or other third party receives compensation of any kind for a social post. If your business doesn’t have a Social Media Policy yet, now is the time to create one. Don’t leave your online presence to chance—build a foundation that supports both compliance and creativity.
You wouldn’t expect a frontline worker to post like a Co-founder, and your social media policy should reflect that. Social media in the workplace is manageable—you just need to dedicate time and effort into developing a social media policy that works. The retail company states that no employee outside of the Walmart social team should answer customer complaints or questions directed toward the company. This kind of rule might seem restrictive, but it’s often best for larger companies to err on the side of caution. According to The 2023 Sprout Social Index, 21% of consumers follow brands on social because their values align with their own. If your employees use business equipment for personal reasons, this section should also explain how they should use it to avoid security breaches.
List which platforms your policy covers and how it applies to both work time and personal time. These guidelines should cover behavioral expectations, harassment prevention, and how employees represent your brand. The trick is finding a balance between employee rights and protecting your business, using clear expectations and rules everyone understands. It allows you to assign specific engagement requests with detailed instructions to employees at scale so they never worry about saying the wrong thing. It’s also important to inform employees how they can seek support if they are a victim of any bullying. If people try to handle a messy situation on their own by responding online, the issue can quickly escalate into an argument that subjects both the provoker and victim to disciplinary action as well.
Unless you’re in a highly technical industry with a very niche audience, your best bet is probably not. Curated content can add value to your social feed without creating new content of your own. Also clarify how you refer to links in your bio on platforms where that’s the only linking option.
The Supreme Court of the United States has defined a “designated public forum” as a forum set aside by government for expressive activities. As with a traditional public forum, designated public forums are subject to “strict scrutiny,” meaning that First Amendment principles apply. For your privacy, you should consider carefully before posting personal medical information to the internet.
A crisis management plan is crucial for effectively handling unexpected social media situations. A well-structured crisis communication plan should include pre-determined roles and guidelines for team members, allowing for swift and coordinated responses to protect the company’s online reputation. Social media monitoring can help brands detect potential crises early and respond promptly. Positive engagement on social media benefits both the company and its employees.
Use role-play exercises, short quizzes, or interactive modules to help employees understand the policy in action. A single inappropriate post from an employee or customer service mishandling can go viral within minutes. In fact, 59% of consumers say they will unfollow a brand after a single negative experience online.
All OUSMAs must adhere to the Social Media Policy that was adopted in September 2023. Download these workplace social media policy templates to help guide employees in presenting themselves and reflecting company values online. Clarify that violations of your policy can have serious consequences. This should not create an atmosphere of fear but rather protect your brand’s integrity. Also, ensure everyone knows what social media behavior is acceptable and what isn’t.