What should your social media policy cover

Revisiting your social media policy to protect your brand

As more people get behind the social media trend, should we be visiting our social media policies? Although social media is something we might associate with leisure and spare time, it is important for businesses to address its use inhouse – outlining what employees can and can’t do.

Looking at which type of social media policy you must implement

There are two different social media policies you need to look at implementing for your business, especially with the growth of social media usage in the workplace. You’ll require a social media policy for your brand and another for your employees – they are similar in structure but targeted differently. It’s vital that any social media policy you have in place as a business is enforced with strict measures so that your company is never in a vulnerable position. We’re in a digital world that is constantly changing this is a good incentive for business owners to continuously review their policies and make any necessary changes that will continue to have the best interests of the company at heart.

What should your social media policy be covering? Visitor management system providers United Carlton discuss…

Image Source: Pixabay

Focusing on rules and regulations

The rules and regulations will be the base of your social media policies. It will outline the expectations you have for your employees in terms of their behaviour on social media. On personal social media, if a person has tagged their workplace in their profile, and are not private, they are representing the company to the wider public. This means that you need to restrict the use of profanities and stay away from controversial topics that could impact the company.

Ensure that your employees are aware that any information they are subjected to within the company must stay within the business for confidentiality reasons. They should not discuss this across social media platforms.

Brand guidelines must be addressed when it comes to discussing social media platforms. How do you want your company represented? This includes how you want your employees to respond to any mentions of your brand – whether these are positive or negative comments. It’s also important to outline how you want your staff to talk about your services or your products.

Issuing roles and outlining responsibilities

With social media accounts, there should be different roles and responsibilities issued for those managing it. This can vary depending on the platform, as each will have their own specific needs. Depending on the skillset and training you give to the teams on social media channels, you might require someone who can approve messages, deal with security and legal concerns and create content that will be posted. It’s important to outline who can and can’t use the social media channels in the business.

Looking at potential legal threats

Legality issues can present themselves at any time, so it’s important to make sure that all work you do is within the regulations — and you must frequently check updates for regulations. When it comes to social media, you need to make sure that you’re crediting your source with any content you are using, an example of this would be repurposing an image for your own business gain. It also needs to be discussed about what can and can’t be shared – making sure that everything gets approved by a senior staff member.

For personal account use, employees must state that all opinions are their own and that they do not reflect the company’s position on certain subjects.

The importance of security

More cyber risks are presenting themselves across all sectors, especially due to the advancements in technology. This means that companies must be aware and know how to handle any potential threats. To reduce the threat of phishing scams and even ransomware attacks companies must create secure passwords, avoid phishing emails, spam, scams and any malware threats and know how to respond in the event of a breach.

Implementing or reviewing your social media policies will be beneficial for both your organisation and your employees. This will ensure that your business is not negatively impacted by social media.