No More Excuses
When it comes to creating a social media policy, there are no more excuses. Regardless of your company’s size, industry or area of specialization, if you want your organization to engage the right way in the social media landscape, then a policy will help to educate and guide your employees. There are many companies that rush to put up their profiles, group or fan pages and jump into conversations. There are also other organizations that realize they are not even having conversations in social networks, yet their employees are already out there talking about the company and the scope of their work, and not protecting what could be company sensitive information.
Benefits of a Social Media Plan
Having a social media policy or guidelines lets everyone know just how they are supposed to participate, share information, and respect and/or be responsible to the brand. A policy also communicates the value of social media to the entire company and gets employees on the same page as to the company’s current participation and/or plans for future involvement.
It’s true, employees want to feel connected to the brand and the more information you can tell them, the more they will take interest and want to participate. A social media policy will also designate certain parties to be official representatives, so employees know whom to direct media’s and bloggers’ inquiries to, as well as who is the appropriate party to speak officially on behalf of the organization with respect to company policies.
Where to Start?
There are several areas that may be covered in a social media policy. However, policies may vary because every company is different. I’ve seen social media policies that are two pages and then I’ve seen guidelines that are 30 pages long. These policies will continue to morph, as the brand gets more involved in the social landscape. Social media policies are definitely not meant to stifle communication or create nervousness around conversations. On the contrary, these guidelines should stimulate great discussions as they direct employees and make them feel comfortable about their new participation.
Here are a few common areas covered in social media policies/guidelines:
- Overview of Social Communications and Tools
- Rules of Engagement
- Blog Guidelines and Comment Moderation
- Code of Ethics
- Potential Legal Concerns
- The 3Rs to Social Communication:
o Representation
o Responsibility
o Respect - Statement on Social Media Measurement
- Other Emerging Social Media Issues
- Forward Looking Statement
What other areas have you seen covered in a social media policy, and what would you recommend to a company that wants to build its social guidelines?
Deirdre Breakenridge, president and executive director, communications, Mango! Creative Juice, an integrated advertising, marketing and communications agency, is also an adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she teaches courses on public relations and interactive marketing for the university’s Global Business Management program. Her books include “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations,” “PR 2.0,” and “Cyberbranding: Brand Building in the Digital Economy.”
Join Deirdre for her webinars, “Create a Social Media Policy to Fit Your Organization: Develop Guidelines to Lessen the Risk,” “How to Create a Social Media Plan: Build Community and Brand Awareness Through Strategic Social Communications” and her PRSA 2010 International Conference session “Become a PR Influencer to Drive Business Sales“!
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