One of the best ways for companies to get more out of their social media efforts is to get their employees involved. Not only does including employees in social media make it easier to consistently produce content, but having multiple perspectives is interesting for customers and other individuals who follow or encounter your company on social media.

Although there’s a lot of value in including employees from all parts of your company in social media, this idea generally brings up the same concern. That concern is how can a company be sure that the employees who are communicating on behalf of the company will do so in a way that reflects the company’s brand and avoid posting things that could have a negative impact.

Since there are companies that have had to deal with an employee posting something less than desirable on social media, this is a legitimate concern. Fortunately, there is a solution for reaping the benefits of having engaged employees on social media while also protecting your company’s brand. That solution is a social media policy.

How to Create and Implement a Social Media Policy

A great social media policy will accomplish two things. First, it will provide employees with guidance on how to contribute to your company’s social media activity. By providing a clear overview of your brand, along with examples of both good and bad social media posts related to your company, you’ll be able to maximize social media collaboration in a positive way.

The other component of a strong social media policy is it covers what is and isn’t acceptable for employees in regards to their personal posting activity. In terms of the individual elements of this part of your social media policy, we recommend keeping the following in mind:

1. Communicate to employees that you understand they may have complaints sometimes and provide an actual way for those complaints to be heard that doesn’t involve social media.

2. Your policy should cover exactly what’s considered confidential company information and should never be shared via social.

3. Explain to employees that what they post online can spread beyond their intended audience and that they will be held responsible for what they share on all social media platforms.

4. Outline how employees should engage with other people who may be critical of your company. This will prevent mistakes from being posted in the heat of the moment.

5. Make sure your social media policy is educational and provides a direct contact person for any employee who has additional questions.

If you need help developing your social media policy, learn how Web Strategy Plus can help.

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Michelle Hummel is CEO of Web Strategy Plus a full-service digital marketing agency focused on Franchise Marketing. She was recently nominated for the Woman-Owned Business of the Year! She’s a passionate Social Media Trainer with 15+ years of successful online business development, sales, and marketing experience. She also holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree however with the ever-changing world of web marketing she strives to learn something new every day. 

She travels Nationwide visiting her 22 Social Media Enthusiasts Chapters she developed Nationwide delivering in-depth social media training. She also provides Social Media Certifications through founding Web Media University. A current contributing editor to The Franchise Dictionary Magazine and she has written 3 books in her series called, “The Social Media Magnet: Everything You Need to Know to Attract Customers with Social Media”, where she shares her best-kept secrets to success. She also specializes in helping Franchisors and Franchisees develop an integrated web marketing program to drive leads. She’s available for interviews via email, telephone, Skype video, news segments on location, and more. Just let her know how she can help!