For those companies who wish to step beyond monitoring social media and into the realm of engagement, one of the most prevalent concerns is how to control that engagement when individual employees are involved.
Allowing individuals to participate in social media on behalf of your organization is a big step. In order to ensure that your corporate message, brand, and reputation are protected, it is essential to have a solid social media policy in place.
A social media policy sets the ground rules for employees participating in social media on behalf of the company. It outlines what content or topics are and are not permissible; defines the organization’s policy for responding to others within these media; and clearly states how employees are expected to conduct themselves when speaking on behalf of their employer.
Some companies require disclaimers (such as “the opinions expressed are my own…”). Some companies encourage employees to speak as individuals, in their own voice, while others prefer that everyone express a standardized corporate tone.
The decisions you make will be as unique as your organization; what is critical is that these policies be set before starting, and that all employees who will be involved in social media are well-versed and on board with these polices.
Two excellent examples of social media policy best-practices that I’ve come across are those provided by Ford, and by Salesforce.com (see links, below). These companies have made their social media policies public. They may provide you with a useful jumping-off point for crafting your own customized policy.
