Social Media Policies

Social Media Policies
Sarah WallaceSocial Media Writing Serviceswww.sarahwallace.com

Social Media Policies
Does anyone have one?

75% of corporations said “No”
More than 34,000 employers surveyed worldwide were asked if they had a social media policy in place
Percentage of Employers With Social Media Policy
Data from Manpower Inc. International: 2009

Why should you have a social media policy?
Efficiency
Consistency
Privacy & Security
Reputation

Before you start writing…
One policy does not fit all

Efficiency: Time
Social MediaEntails:
Creation
Engagement
Monitoring

Efficiency & Consistency: Communication is key
Communication is key because it prevents:
Misinformation
Redundancy
Contradiction
Inconsistent verbiage and tone

Communicate with…
Traditional Marketing/PR
Customer Service
Production
Other employees

Communication with…
Your legal department
Try not to fight
Find harmony
Compromise
Photo credit: Rock’em Sock’em Robots

Consistency: Tone
Your social media employees are now:
Customer service
Sales
IT department

Privacy/Security: Employee usage
Divulging of proprietary information
Misrepresenting the company

Privacy/Security: Hire an expert
SixWeight
Mike Spinney
Privacy Consultant and Principal
Ph. 978-660-4053Email: mike@sixweight.com
Mike provides guidance on policy development for companies concerned with the security and privacy implications of social media use by employees.
If you don’t have someone in-house, hire a privacy/ security expert.
InfoSecurus, Inc.David Jacquet
Ph: (207) 514 0599 Email: dmj@infosecurus.com
Web: http://www.infosecurus.com
An information security services firm

Privacy/Security: Speaking of passwords
Employees come and go…
Make sure you know account passwords
If staff leaves, change them
@comcastcares
45,788 followers
3,742 followers

Damage Control
Have a procedure in place for damage control
How do you respond
Who can respond
Chain of command
Accessibility
“Dear @SouthwestAir – I know I’m fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?”- @ThatKevinSmith

Leads to the question: Is social media 24/7?
Umm, yes…
Monitor manually
Use monitoring tools
Setup alerts

Make a roadmap for your employees
Tell them how to do it
We use this URL shortener
The blog should be upated biweekly
We always thank followers
We don’t respond to these types of posts
And so on…

Going back to legal…
FTC Guidelines
Disclose when you are being compensated - Whether you are being paid for the endorsement and/or have been give free sample of the product
Be truthful in your statements - Make sure they can be substantiated.
Speak from actual experience – Can’t just regurgitate the sponsor's marketing material, it must be an actual experience, opinion, or belief of your own.
Fine is $11,000

Revise when necessary
Your policy will probably change
More platforms may be added
More staff
Different uses (like adding on IT support)
Changes in social media

Bio
Sarah Wallace works as a writer specializing in social media writing services. She helps clients with their blogs, Facebook, Twitter, e-newsletters, web copy, SEO and press releases. In addition to performing these services, Wallace also provides editing, consulting and monitoring/analysis.
URL: http://www.sarahwallace.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sarah_wallace

Social Media Policies

by Sarah Wallace on Sep 23, 2010

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Social Media Policies — Presentation Transcript