Whether you like it or not, social media is embedded in our everyday lives. People use it to share their happy moments and grievances, ask questions and even find jobs, while employers market themselves and connect with their buyers.
That’s all well and good, but what happens when someone posts about work or expresses an opposing personal opinion? This unclear middle ground is why a social media policy is so important for your company.
Well-thought-out corporate social media policies help ensure a company’s presence remains consistent and scalable, regardless of who is posting where. Still, 45% of companies Still don’t have one installed. I’m here to help fix the problem.
Let’s break down How to create a social media policy This is right for your team and check out some well-crafted examples.
Table of contents
What is a Social Media Policy?
A social media policy describes how your company uses social media channels and what employees can and cannot post. It encourages employees to spread the word about the company on their online networks, but aims to protect a company’s reputation by setting guidelines for what is acceptable.
Power more than one person Manage your social media accounts? Do you expect your employees to promote your company on their personal profiles? Or would you rather they not talk about office culture or their everyday lives at all?
In organizations with a large online presence or a well-established public image, a social media policy helps answer these questions and set guidelines for how the company should be portrayed.
Think about it: Each person you hire has their own personality, tone of voice, and opinions. That might even be the reason you hired them. But the truth is, we live in volatile times.
There is a lot of political and social unrest, and things get complicated when an employee’s views or even behavior outside of business hours conflict with those of the company, its values, or its buyers.
Company social media policies help combat and manage these situations. They can also help prevent personal views from invading posts on your brand’s social media accounts.
Now I know. Some of you may worry that enforcing strict rules in a social media policy will stifle creativity or limit freedom of expression.
But if done correctly, it shouldn’t hinder employees. In fact, they should have an easier time amplifying your social media messages since they know exactly what is beneficial and what isn’t. You don’t have to guess.
Why is a social media policy important?
Good social media policies eliminate confusion. They give teams a single, documented playbook and ultimately help align every piece about the company with a brand’s values, tone, and goals.
While no one wants their social media policies to give rise to disciplinary action, they still provide companies with a safety net of sorts in case something goes wrong.
I saw firsthand how important this is during a presidential election at a previous employer.
We had no social media guidelines back then and my teammate posted something politically explosive on his personal profile. Some third-party partners saw the post and were upset, putting the company in a difficult position.
This probably could have been avoided if a social media policy had been set.
Benefits of a company social media policy
To get more detailed, here are some key benefits of creating a company social media policy:
- Maintain consistency Brand voice, tone and messaging across social channels
- Prevent a public relations (public relations) crisis as a result of a potentially offensive post
- Empower your employees to deal sensitively with legal and regulatory issues
- Protect customer and stakeholder privacy
- Have effective responses in place should crises or data breaches occur
- Make sure every new employee has the tools to spread a positive, consistent and valuable brand message across all social channels
So what does a great social media policy look like?
Components of a social media policy
First, remember that there is no one “right” policy that works for every company.
Below, I’ve shared several components that, in my experience, make for good social media policies – but some may not make sense for your team, company, or industry. Choose what best suits your culture and business goals.
1. Purpose and scope
- Explain the purpose of the policy and its importance in protecting the company’s reputation and employee rights.
- Promote responsible, respectful communication and emphasize that employees also represent the company privately.
- Indicate who the policy applies to (e.g. all employees, contractors, interns, etc.).
2. Employee policies for personal accounts
- Specify when and how employees can discuss work-related topics on personal accounts.
- When relevant, encourage disclaimers such as “My views are my own,” especially when it comes to industry-related topics.
- Provides guidance on sharing public information versus confidential details.
3. Guidelines for social media use during work hours
- Nowadays, personal smartphones and tablets are not only allowed in the workplace, but are even required for some jobs. Therefore, it is important to set guidelines for personal social media use in the office.
- This may include time limits, phone-free areas or events, etc.
4. Brand voice and tone
- Explain the brand’s tone, style and messaging standards for official social media channels.
- Clarify how employees should align themselves with the brand image when representing the company.
5. Confidentiality and privacy concerns
- Emphasize the importance of protecting proprietary company information, customer data and customer data.
- Provide examples of what constitutes confidential information.
6. Protection of Intellectual Property
- Outline rules for using company logos, images, and other branded materials on personal accounts.
- Indicate that Company Content may not be reproduced without permission.
- You may also want to discuss rules User Generated Content or republishing content that is tagged or shared by your audience on your social media platforms.
7. Official Social Media Responsibilities
- Explain which departments or individuals handle official accounts, the frequency of disclosures, and escalation procedures.
- Provide a list of official reports and expectations. (This may include what audiences can expect from your brand and what you expect from your employees when managing your social media accounts.)
8. Engagement Guidelines (for Responding to Public Interaction)
- Describe how you should respond to comments, questions, complaints, or negative feedback.
- Provide examples of appropriate responses and escalation steps for sensitive issues. This will be an extremely valuable reference and training material.
9. Security and privacy protocols
- List steps to protect official accounts, such as: B. using strong passwords, two-factor authentication and restricting access.
- Provides guidance on identifying and addressing potential security threats (e.g., phishing, hacking attempts).
10. Compliance with Laws and Regulations
- Highlight legal aspects such as: B. compliance with advertising standards, disclosure requirements and industry-specific regulations (e.g. HIPAA for healthcare, GDPR for the EU).
11. Consequences of Policy Violations
- Clearly state disciplinary action for policy violations, from warnings to termination for serious violations.
- Ensure that this section complies with existing company disciplinary policies.
12. Resources and Training
- Provide links to resources for further reading or training on using social media effectively.
- Provide contact information for team members who can answer questions or provide guidance on specific scenarios.
13. Schedule updates
- Explain how and when the policy will be reviewed and updated to reflect changes in social media or business strategy.
- Consider scheduling a regular review to stay abreast of evolving social media trends and regulations.
By creating a comprehensive social media policy, employees can use social media effectively while minimizing risks to the company’s brand and reputation.
How to create a social media policy
Social media policies can take many different forms.
Need something to put together? Our Free social media policy template will help you compile your thoughts into a formal document that can be downloaded as a Word Doc, Google Doc, or PDF.
8 Examples of Great Social Media Policies
Let’s explore how notable companies have developed effective social media policies to inspire you today.
1. Best buy
Best Buy has a social media policy that preemptively addresses privacy concerns that may arise when using social media.
What do I like about it? Best Buy’s Social Media Policy?
- It cares about both the employee and the company.
- It’s easy to skim, but it tells you exactly what’s important (e.g. what information should never be shared).
- It is written in direct, simple language that anyone can understand.
- The consequences of violating the policy are clear.
- It will give you tips on where you can get more information.
What could be better?
- It’s outdated. The policy appears to date from 2010 and even specifically encourages “tweeting.” Companies should regularly update their social media policies to reflect new platforms, behaviors and concerns.
2.Adobe
Adobe keeps it even shorter than Best Buy, including social media only as a footnote in its much longer “Code of Business.”
What do I like about Adobe? Social media politics?
- It’s concise.
- It applies to multiple platforms.
- It links to additional resources.
What could be better?
- It’s vague. Unlike Best Buy’s policies, which were short but easy to understand, I think Adobe leaves a lot to interpret. For example, “appropriate” can vary greatly depending on the person.
- There is no mention of what happens if the policy is broken.
- The language is cold and formal.
3. Walmart
Walmart is dedicated to its social media accounts and believes in social media as an opportunity for customer service. Its social media policy mentions all the networks on which it is present, focusing on Twitter (X), Facebook and Instagram.
What do I like about Walmart’s social media policy?
- It is written in direct, simple language that anyone can understand.
- It’s all about what the audience can expect from them.
- It’s aimed at both Walmart employees and official brand accounts.
What could be better?
- It would be useful to also discuss the other platforms Walmart is active on: YouTube, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and Medium. There’s really no explanation as to why this isn’t the case.
4. Ford engines
Ford’s most recent version of its social media policy focuses exclusively on its Facebook page.
A PDF of “Ford Motor Company Digital Participation Guidelines” is also circulating online, but it is over 14 years old and spans several rebranded social media networks.
What do I like about Ford’s social media policy?
- It needs a unifying and inviting tone.
- It’s specifically about what you can expect from them and what expectations others in their “community” have.
- It is clearly informed about its rights and the use of the content on its site.
- It will give you tips on where you can get more information.
What could be better?
- It focuses only on Facebook. It will be opened up to address other platforms, as Ford is active on Instagram and X, among others.
- No guidelines are provided regarding the conduct of Ford employees
5. Coca Cola
Coca-Cola does not have a social media policy in the traditional sense, but rather promises “responsible social media principles” that it promises to adhere to.
This results in a more timeless social media “brand” for Coca-Cola, rather than specific practices that can quickly become outdated.
What do I like about Coke’s social media policy?
- It focuses on their impact and responsibility to their audience.
- It lays out its values in detail with examples. For example, it explains that “platforms taking responsibility for the content provided on their sites” means, in part, that they must be moderated and free of hate or divisiveness.
- The principles are general enough to be applied to any social platform or practice. That makes it timeless.
- It is clear what the public can expect from Coca-Cola and what happens if the guidelines are violated.
What could be better?
- It should contain more specific guidelines for Coca-Cola employees.
- It should include intellectual property, brand, tone and voice information.
Swaybase shares a document covers these elements, but it is unclear whether this content is still in use.
6. The New York Times
The New York Times (NYT) recognizes the price of its popularity—namely, that anything its employees say on their personal accounts could come across as official Times opinion.
It also recognizes how important social media is to its position as a credible journalism publisher and makes this clear in its social media policy.
What do I like about NYT’s social media policy?
- It’s current. It was updated in June 2024 and is the most recently created social media policy I have come across.
- It is extremely thorough and specific. This includes, among other things, who and which platforms are covered by the directive.
- Most of the points can be implemented.
- To make it easier to digest, bullet points are used.
- It explains NYT’s development process. The policy was created by collecting insights and quotes from real reporters. This provides additional accountability and a sense of fairness since the points come from the employees.
- It begins with “highlights” to draw attention to the most important parts of the policy.
- It provides troubleshooting guides and where to get more information.
What could be better?
- This is presented in many ways, like a NYT article. While this is on brand, I would have recommended presenting it in a less verbose and easier to skim format.
7. Oracle
Oracle is pretty tight-lipped about its social media practices. This becomes clear through Reports in 2014 that they fired an employee for discussing their plans for X (then Twitter).
Oracle’s Social Media Participation Policy documents how to use social media as a business, but it is Code of conduct and business ethics for employees Address how employees can engage on personal social media.
What do I like about Oracle’s social media policy?
- It makes the “dos and don’ts” of social media very clear for employees.
- The language is simple and easy to understand.
- It links to additional resources.
What could be better?
- It could provide more details and examples of acceptable or unacceptable content/behavior online.
8. Department of Defense Social Media Policy
Every organization should take precautions to ensure that its classified information is not carelessly shared on social media. But this is even more important for government agencies like the US Department of Defense.
What do I like about Oracle’s social media policy?
- It is concise and easy to skim.
- It contains links to related resources and makes them easier to find.
- It uses headings, bolding, and bullet points to organize the information and draw attention to the most important parts.
What could be better?
- It focuses solely on how the Department of Defense as an organization uses social media. It’s not about how DOD employees should handle social media, which seems important for a government agency.
- The language is formal and technical. I would simplify it to avoid confusion or misunderstanding. For example, “disseminate” could easily mean “share,” even though it comes from the government.
A good social media policy is the first step.
Ultimately, the rules and regulations you include in your policy should reflect the values, message and tone of your own brand.
However, you can use these examples and guidelines to ensure that you include statements that can protect you from future legal or regulatory disputes arising from an employee’s social media posts.
Additionally, try to use your social media policy as a first step to increasing the effectiveness of your social media strategies and ensuring a positive brand image on every platform you post on.