As the rise of social media has blurred the boundaries between what is and isn’t appropriate for the workplace, implementing a clear social media policy can help protect your business.

A good social media policy should outline areas such as expectations for appropriate employee conduct, define who is responsible for specific social media tasks and provide clear guidelines for handling areas of risk or concern.

Defends against legal trouble and risks:
Social media can be a complicated legal ground for things such as copyright and privacy issues. A strong social media policy that is implemented successfully can help to protect your business from legal troubles by outlining potential risks and how to avoid them.

Empowers employees:
Clear guidelines can allow employees to use social media to promote the business, acting as an employee advocacy tool. Your policy could outline best practices for sharing company content on social media, as well as leaving comments appropriately. It could also advise on when not to engage in certain situations, for example when discussing controversial subjects. A good policy should also warn staff about engaging with negative comments or posting confidential information about the business.

Creates consistency:
A social media policy should convey the tone you want for your business’ public engagement. As many businesses use social media to connect with customers, it is important to ensure that anyone who interacts with your company gets the same consistent experience across all channels. In this part of your policy, it could also be helpful to address the correct use of images, video and other media that you may share and wish to be consistent with your brand.

Social media in your business does not have to come with risk. If you put some time and effort into a thorough policy, you could utilise it as an important tool to engage with your customers.