How To Manage Your Social Media Policy
It takes multiple people to design and implement a great social media marketing strategy. But different people can have vastly different ideas about how to approach social media marketing, including what kind of tone to cultivate on a social media page, how often content should be posted, and even what type of content is appropriate to post. This is why it’s essential to design a social media policy for any social media marketing strategy. Failing to do so can lead to unfocused, ineffective, and potentially even inappropriate content on your social media pages.
Why Create A Social Media Policy?
Creating a social media policy makes sure that everyone involved in your social media marketing strategy is on the same page in terms of what to post, how often, and in what tone. A social media policy will keep everyone on the same page, and will give your staff a valuable tool for determining what type of content to post. Finally, a social media policy is an essential document to have on record in case of any social media-related disputes that may arise.
Determine The Tone And Message That You Want To Convey.
Successful social media marketing strategies typically have a specific focus, including particular goals that need to be met. Your social media policy should outline how your content will adhere to this focus. Will you include frequent calls to action? Will posts be formal or informal? How much variety in content topics is acceptable?
Decide Which Types Of Content Are Appropriate.
Although differentiating between appropriate and inappropriate posts may seem as though it should be intuitive, there are often gray areas in terms of controversial subjects, or even content tone. Providing guidelines for ensuring that a post is appropriate for your social media page will give employees the confidence and knowledge to make independent decisions with regard to what to post.
It can also be helpful to require that more than one person review content before it is posted. This can help prevent employees from accidentally posting material that they may not realize is offensive. For example, American Apparel's brand image suffered when a young employee posted a video of the 1986 Challenger explosion, mistaking it for fireworks.
Outline Employees’ Roles In The Social Media Strategy.
Having more than one person involved in a social media marketing strategy can lead to unnecessary overlap, missed messages, or even to conflict. One of the best ways to avoid these problems is to specify the specific role that each employee will have with regard to social media. You may wish to specify who is responsible for creating content, monitoring messages, and responding to comments. You may also wish to specify whether employees need approval to post content.
Research Any External Regulations That You May Need To Follow.
Many social media pages have site-specific regulations that need to be followed. Ignoring these regulations could put your social media pages at risk for being suspended or deleted. Furthermore, it’s important to make sure that you’re following any relevant regulations within your specific industry, such as respecting client confidentiality.
Provide a Code of Conduct For Employees’ Personal Social Media Pages.
In addition to establishing an in-house social media policy, many companies also decide to create a policy that outlines a “code of conduct” for how employees are expected to present themselves via personal social media pages.
Consult With A Lawyer To Ensure That Your Policy Is Sound.
Once you’ve outlined your social media policy, it’s often a good idea to consult with a lawyer in order to ensure that your policy is legally sound.
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