What is the definition of a Social Media Policy?

A Social Media policy is a set of rules or guidelines to take the guesswork out of what is appropriate to post on Social Media regarding your Brand. It is also a guideline for employees who have set their “Works at (Your Company Name), what is acceptable to post on their personal pages. 
The goal of a Social Media Policy is to protect your Brand in the digital space. Not to suffocate creativity. 
So let’s take a quick look at the top 5 things you need to have in place before you can begin to create your Social Media Policy:

1. START WITH YOU. What does this mean? A policy that works and can be enforceable, starts from the top down. You set the example. So you must determine what YOUR core values are, what YOUR personal policies are regarding Social Media and HOW you behave online.
2. EDUCATION: Before you can begin to create a social media policy for yourself or your company, you must have a clear and concise understanding of how the platforms you intend to use really work. Educating yourself is so important in this case simply because how can you implement something if you don’t have a good understanding and working knowledge.
3. GENERATIONS: Every generation has a different understanding and perception of Social Media, and a different way of communicating on Social Media. Each generation has different expectations of Social Media and a different reasoning for using, or not using Social Media. We have such a diverse workforce that it’s important to be as inclusive and sensitive to each of the generations as possible in both the training and creation of your Policies.
4. LEGALITIES: If you really want something that is legally enforceable, please consult with your company attorney, or outside legal help. While this can be costly, it will cost you less in the future should you end up with a lawsuit. Check out: “The National Labor Relations Act”   Social Media policies are addressed here. 
5. SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY: A clear Strategy will help you with avoiding Social Media “Blunders”. It is also necessary to have a strategy in place to help support your Policy. A Strategy is your “Road Map” in Social Media. This will guide your Marketing Department, Your HR Department, and your Team on what to post, when to post and what platforms the Company is currently using to get information out in the digital space.

In summary, there are a lot of components here and many things to think about. But the bottom line is your policy is to protect your brand. It can look and be as complicated as you want, but it can also be as simple as you want. It’s up to you.
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