Social Media Success Policy People are hired and fired based on what they share online. And business is lost or gained depending on what you post and how you represent yourself and your brand online. Whether you have employees and/or you outsource some of your social media management, or you do it all yourself, it’s critical to have a policy in place to provide clear guidelines for what can and cannot be posted online on behalf of - and about - your company.
Social Media Success Policy – ASSESSMENT First, review these five points as a quick audit of where your policy stands now. Ideally your answer is yes to all five statements.
1. I have clear parameters about what to post online. 2. I have clear parameters about what I would never post online. 3. I have clear action steps to take in the event of an online crisis. 4. My social media policy is in written format. 5. My social media policy is in a format that can easily be shared with new hires and team members, as my company grows.
© Mari Smith International, Inc. 1 MariSmith.com | Facebook.com/marismith | Facebook.com/maris | Twitter.com/marismith
Social Media Success Policy - TEMPLATE This policy covers both personal and professional employee/team member use of social networking sites, blogs, online forums, wikis and any other online or public platform. [NOTE: OR, you may wish to create *two* policies: one for employees/team members using social networks in their role at work and one for employees using social media in their personal lives. The reason for the latter is you want to mitigate anything inappropriate, confidential or derogatory about your company from being shared even in a private space.] Privacy • • •
Review your online presence and adjust the privacy settings of all your social profiles to your liking. Respect the privacy of others. Never disclose any confidential or proprietary information.
Posting • •
• • •
Use your best judgment when posting anything online. Pause and pass through this three-point filter: o Would I be comfortable with this content on the front page of the NY Times? o Would I be comfortable with this content found in a Google search in years to come? o Would I be proud for my own mom to read this content? When in doubt, do not post. Before posting anything online, stop and ask yourself, “What is my deepest intent?” Be careful of ever responding in reaction when upset about something.
Perspectives •
Include disclaimers on personal profiles: “the views expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer xyz company.”
Personal Responsibility • • •
Act responsibly and ethically. Remember you are representing yourself and your company/employer at all times. Always speak positively and respectfully about the company, bosses, management, employees, partners, vendors and competitors. Never speak negatively about anyone online (or offline, ideally!).
© Mari Smith International, Inc. 2 MariSmith.com | Facebook.com/marismith | Facebook.com/maris | Twitter.com/marismith
Procedures (for crisis management) •
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If ever handling a negative situation online that might be escalating, immediately seek advice from a trusted advisor or colleague and get the right help to mitigate the situation as promptly as possible. (List here contact information for responsible parties, any systems/platforms used for reputation monitoring and tracking that staff should know about, and any other pertinent information about what is and is not acceptable in an emergency. The more prepared you can be for handling a negative situation, the more confident you and your entire team/company will be… and you may never need to manage an online crisis).
Permissions • • •
Never imply you are speaking on behalf of the company unless you have permission or that is your role. Do not use copyrights or trademarks without permission. Always provide attribution/credit whenever applicable (do not claim authorship of content that isn’t yours).
Platforms Add specific guidelines here pertaining to each of the most common social networking sites, blogs, online forums – whatever is most relevant to your company.
Resources: Social Media Policy Database - the most complete listing of social media policies. Referenced by the world's largest brands and agencies. http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php See also this list of policy examples: http://socialmediatoday.com/davefleet/151761/57-social-media-policy-examplesand-resources Recommended blog posts to read: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/10-tips-for-creating-a-social-media-policyfor-your-business/ http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/writing-a-social-media-policy.html
© Mari Smith International, Inc. 3 MariSmith.com | Facebook.com/marismith | Facebook.com/maris | Twitter.com/marismith