Most organizations already recognize the business value in using social media to grow their network and extend their brand’s reach. This is usually executed through some “official” mechanism by designated employees with job titles like Social Media Manager.
Forward-thinking companies are going further, however, and encouraging employees throughout the organization–even those who have nothing to do with marketing–to use social media at work as a way to bolster the company’s reputation, find sales leads or, quite commonly, to help in recruiting efforts.
And let’s be honest: most employees occasionally use social media tools at work for personal reasons, anyway. My question: Why not make the most of it? In this article, I present several key ingredients of a social media policy that does just that.
Social Media Policies: Promoting vs. Regulating Use
Many 2012 corporate to-do lists include creating an official policy for regulating employees’ Tweets, Likes and Shares while at work. Business leaders understandably want guidelines in-place for regulating employee use of social media outlets–and protecting against misuse–on personal and company accounts alike.
But while regulation-focused policies that cast a shadow over the shoulder of every employee minimize the risk of mishaps, they also tend to prevent the company from seeing any benefits whatsoever from employee use of social media. Your policy should strategically promote–not just regulate–the use of social media internally and externally as a means to build company culture, expand your organization's online presence, and to facilitate more dynamic channels of communication.
Guidelines for an Effective Social Media Policy
While there isn’t one universal social media policy that works for all, here are five things to consider when creating a policy tailored to fit your needs:
- Start with a clear purpose. For many organizations, the first step in creating a social media policy is to define the who, what, when and where of social media usage in the company. But according to Maren Hogan, Chief Marketing Brain of Red Branch Media, “that’s doing it a little backwards.” The first step should be to clarify the why. You need to have an intimate understanding of what your organization hopes to accomplish by using social media. What’s the goal? What’s the value to your organization?
- Include everyone. Once a clear, underlying purpose is established to drive your policy, work with managers to decide which departments must incorporate social media into their day-to-day, and which departments should simply encourage or even passively allow it–and set separate guidelines delineating voluntary users and mandatory users. Not only does this serve as an open invitation to your people, it also lets them know what’s expected of them.
- Establish process and hierarchy. At some point, you’re going to need damage control. Therefore, you need to establish a hierarchy of ownership, both assigning responsibility to the most sensible parties and providing a course of action for addressing mishaps. “When social media issues arise,” says Hogan, “who do you go to for help? IT? Marketing? A social media coordinator? The CIO?” Distinguish between when to talk to whom (e.g., send accessibility and software issues to IT, and check in with marketing for blogging best practices, etc.). Also outline a clear workflow for addressing and escalating issues.
- Create a positive policy to maximize participation. You’re not paying people to hang out on Facebook all day. Limiting personal social media usage in the workplace and defining who is authorized to access various platforms makes sense. Structure is certainly important, but your policies should be driven by what to do, rather than what not do. “Our brains don’t work with don’ts–they work in a positive way,” says Rob Garcia, VP of Product at UpMo. “Policies that limit and regulate are bound to be unsuccessful. They push people away from social media, rather than using it to achieve company goals.” Bottom line: People are bound to make mistakes, but your policies should focus on promoting proper use rather than restricting it.
- Lead by example. The hard part in all of this is building a company culture that embraces a social mindset, one driven by the sharing of ideas and information. As is often the case, leadership should lead the charge in adopting your social media policy, paving the way for the rest of the organization. Garcia’s straightforward advice to leaders: “Show up and participate. The companies that are the most social media savvy are led by people who are plugged in and using different platforms to have valuable conversations.”
Conclusion: Face Challenges Head-On
You’re bound to run into a few challenges when creating, implementing and supporting an official social media policy. When executed effectively, though, the payoff will be well worth it. As Hogan reminds us, “The only way past something is through it. There is going to be a hard part, there is going to be a time when people get frustrated, and there will be people for whom change is difficult.”
Rolling out something of this scale company-wide requires patience and a supportive attitude. Keep an ear open to feedback–both negative and positive–and be prepared to address concerns. And don’t be afraid to see what other organizations are doing. There are lessons to learn from the successes (and blunders) of others, which will be a big help when building a social media policy of your own.
What challenges and obstacles have you faced in creating a social media policy? Any tips for overcoming them? How does your social media policy impact your talent management processes?
Thumbnail image created by Bruce R.
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