8 tips to craft a sensible corporate social media policy

Social media platforms can be a blessing or a curse for organizations.

How can you reap the connectivity and collaboration rewards of social media and avoid unwanted pitfalls, confusion, distractions or crises? Creating a comprehensive, concise and practical social media policy is a smart place to start.

Of course, you can’t control everything employees say or do on social media. However, by creating official guidelines, you can set clear expectations for employee conduct. This protects you as an employer, and it also helps workers avoid costly mistakes that could harm their reputation—or even derail their career.

Here are eight tips to keep in mind before creating and distributing a corporate social media policy:

1. Define social media.

Different people have different takes on what constitutes “social media.” Facebook and Twitter are obvious examples, but there are loads of online forums, blogs, chat platforms and video sharing sites that are more ambiguous.

Rather than leave it up to individual interpretation, clearly outline which social media platforms, websites or apps you are referring to throughout your document.

2. Differentiate between professional and personal use.