5 questions every social media policy must answer

As companies dedicate an increasing amount of resources to social media marketing, there are more “what ifs?”

What if an employee decides to use his personal Facebook account to network with clients? What if a community member posts an inflammatory comment on your Facebook page?

A strategically-conceived policy can help answer these questions and ensure your company can appropriately handle any issues that arise. Unfortunately, a recent study by PayScale revealed that only 53 percent of companies have a formal social media policy.

Organizations should take the time to develop a social media policy to address the “what ifs” and answer the following questions:

1. What constitutes appropriate content?

Community members, employees and management may not share a common definition of appropriate content. By developing a social media policy, companies can ensure everyone plays by the same rules, and that brand ambassadors have a clear understanding of what constitutes appropriate use.

With this policy as a guide, organizations can manage the expectations of their online communities by including a brief description of the platform’s intended use as part of their profiles. For example: