BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

The top six social media tips to know before you leave the office.

In 2009, one in every ten U.S. companies reported that employee social media activity had done damage to the corporate brand. With increasing engagement on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites enabling employees to share thoughts, photos, personal information, and even gripes, it’s clear that companies need to do more to ensure that their people understand the implications of social media activity.

How can companies empower employees to become brand ambassadors while also protecting against the potentially devastating consequences of unauthorized online behavior? Developing a corporate social media use policy will help employees understand the space, the impact of their participation, and best practices for taking part in your company’s online brand presence.

This week’s Six@Six outlines six key items every company should address in its employee social media policy. Leading social media policies vary widely in how much emphasis is placed on each component, but no social media policy is complete without at least touching upon each of the following. If you have additional suggestions or examples, let me know @pjkerley.

 1. Explanation of Social Media

While it may seem basic, helping employees understand the social media space is essential to compliance with the rules of the road. Employees’ range of online knowledge and experience is likely to vary widely, so establishing a baseline understanding is an important first step. Some companies, such as Kodak, describe each major social media platform, while others simply define social media as a whole. In addition to providing a similar primer, take care to outline the success metrics your company will use to evaluate its social media efforts. Remember: the way in which your company defines and describes social media will determine the scope of your social media policy.

2. Role of Social Media for the Company

Does your company maintain official social media profiles? Can employees contribute to the company blog? Do you want employees to help promote company social media content? These are critical questions to address when compiling an employee social media policy. Your company’s level of social media adoption and openness will play a large role in how employees interact with your brand online. Some companies encourage users to spread the brand’s messaging through their own social media profiles, while others ask that employees’ personal social media activity be separate from their efforts on behalf of the company. Every company’s employee social media policy should explain the role of social media for the company and how employees can best support it.

3. Encouraged Activities

In addition to outlining the role of social media for the company as a whole, it’s important to clarify the ways in which employees can interact with your brand online. For example, if employees are encouraged to participate in discussions, how should they identify themselves? What resources can employees point customers to online? Offer examples to guide engagement and illustrate best practices. Remind employees how to safely interact with others and that participation is voluntary. Guiding employees in the right direction will help them embrace the online space in a productive manner that will, in turn, benefit your brand.

4. Discouraged Activities

A good social media policy also clarifies unacceptable online behavior and actions as they pertain to the company. Yahoo’s social media policy is a stellar example of explaining the risks and rewards of social media, particularly as it relates to the branding and legal consequences of sharing sensitive information. Similarly, your social media policy should leave no ambiguity. If an action is off limits, explain why and offer parameters. Additionally, explain the consequences of unprofessional social media activity and remind everyone that updates and blog posts remain online forever.

5. Consequences of Careless Activities

For those not familiar with social media, the idea that a single tweet could damage the company, or their personal reputation, may seem mind boggling. A good social media policy not only presents tips for successful online engagement, it also discusses the impact of social media activities. Take time to discuss the type of professional behavior that should be exhibited online when representing the company brand. As with any employee policy, it is critical to explain to employees the consequences of violating the company’s social media policy. This will help convey the importance of social media to employees and encourage them to take the policy seriously.

6. Where to Go with Questions

Finally, because it is next to impossible to create a completely comprehensive social media policy, be sure to provide employees with additional information about where to go with questions. Social media is constantly evolving and employees will likely have questions. When they do, where should they turn? Their supervisor? Public Relations? Marketing? Does your company have a dedicated social media manager? Providing employees with a point of contact can help avoid social media missteps and protect the company’s reputation and bottom line long-term.