This guidance should apply to new posts, retweets, shares and hashtags. Your employees may already be vigilant about phishing scams and the like. We’ve got a full post on image copyright guidelines that you can link to or learn from. When employees discuss company-related matters on social, they are required by law to identify themselves as employees.
This includes upholding the organization’s values and maintaining the appropriate tone and etiquette when communicating with clients, colleagues, or customers online. With the rise of social media, privacy has become a critical concern for both employers and employees. Companies need to ensure that they respect employees’ privacy while protecting their business interests, particularly when it comes to confidential information and workplace interactions.
Why Social Media Guidelines Matter
However, you can use these examples and guidelines to ensure you include statements that can help protect you against legal or regulatory disputes in the future based on an employee’s social media posts. In organizations with a large online presence or well-established public images, a social media policy helps answer these questions and set guardrails for how the company should be represented. You now have the key elements, best practices, and real-world examples to create a social media policy that protects your brand and empowers your team. The fastest way to put this into action is to start with our free social media policy template. Make it clear that the policy applies to anyone who represents the company online—whether they’re full-time employees, interns, or freelancers working on your social media accounts.
Social Media Policy For Business: The Complete Guide
Sensitive data such as client contracts, financial results, internal strategies, and upcoming product launches should never be disclosed without authorization. Federal agencies — such as the National Labor Relations Board — have found some policies to be restrictive. An overly controlling policy prohibits employees from mentioning working conditions, for example. Christina Newberry has been writing about digital marketing since the prehistoric days of 2002, when email opt-ins were every marketer’s biggest goal. With a deep understanding of how to connect to online audiences, she shifted her focus to social media and has been contributing to the Hootsuite blog since 2016.
[Company Name] reserves the right to update this policy at any time to reflect changes in laws, technologies, or company practices. Employees will be notified of any updates to this policy and are encouraged to review it regularly. However, it is important for businesses to give specific examples when the logo should not be used.
Social Media Style Guide: Template, Examples & Tips For 2024
Or, you could draft mock guidelines and share them for direct feedback. In fact, setting guidelines shows you care about your community, their experience, and won’t tolerate harmful behavior. Find out how Bitly can help your business unlock a universe of refined, data-driven strategies. New platforms and social forums often bring new nuances, challenges, and opportunities. Sticking to a static policy can result in a brand being ill-prepared to handle these changes or missing out on leveraging new trends effectively.