Mailchimp’s Content Style Guide is a comprehensive resource that outlines guidelines for writing and creating content across various channels, including social media. It covers tone of voice, grammar and mechanics, formatting, and accessibility considerations. The guide is well-organized and includes clear examples to illustrate each point. Provide guidelines for using hashtags effectively on social media platforms. Specify branded hashtags, campaign-specific hashtags, and industry-related hashtags that align with the brand’s messaging and objectives.
Meanwhile, archiving compliance requirements ensure organizations have a record of social media activities. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) both require financial services firms to archive social media communications in context. Social media compliance is important because it protects your organization from legal issues, financial penalties, data breaches, and reputational damage.
Legal Questions
General Motors (GM) has an odd situation with their social media policy. Ongoing monitoring and education are the keys to getting the most out of your guidelines. But with an eager brand advocate base on your side, you’re more likely to see the social ROI you need to achieve your goals. Ford’s social media policy consists of a single page PDF, which is from 2010.
Unless you’re in a highly technical industry with a very niche audience, your best bet is probably not. Curated content can add value to your social feed without creating new content of your own. Also clarify how you refer to links in your bio on platforms where that’s the only linking option.
Rather than focus on the negatives and tell employees what they shouldn’t do, it promotes employee trust. The Additional Policy section of the template is open-ended, allowing you to add any specific information about your company or its services. Ensure you maintain an SOP or continuity book to ensure the account seamlessly transitions to new personnel. Use your command’s website or if your organization does not have a website. Social media managers are required to complete OPSEC training to avoid content on their unit’s critical information list (CIL).
We didn’t have a social media policy at the time, and my teammate posted something politically charged on their personal profile. Some third-party partners saw the post and were upset, putting the company in a difficult spot. It’s no surprise that the social media policy for an association of lawyers and other legal professionals is detailed and comprehensive. It’s clear in its rules and requirements, and how they apply to relevant law.
Developing Platform-specific Content Strategies
That is why it is helpful to have a company social media policy for employees. The handbook also specifies that employees must follow the social media platforms’ rules and be respectful when posting about the company or anyone related to it, such as clients or other employees. The social media content of a public library or publicly funded academic library can be subject to an open records, or Freedom of Information Act, request. All user’s posts that are removed for any reason whatsoever should be securely retained in accordance with your organization’s retention schedule.
The policy should stress that no posts will be removed without following the approved procedure and no content should be removed upon the authority of a single staff member or administrator. Staff contributors should use a tone consistent with their organization’s communication and marketing strategy, whether posting original content or communicating directly with a user. Social media content should be written from the point of view of the “We,” which represents the library as a whole and not as an individual staff member. As the online face of the library, staff members should remain professional at all times and should refrain from expressing their personal views when posting on the library’s behalf. So, if you are posting on Facebook, you need to include videos and blog posts in your company’s social media guidelines.
This guide walks you through crafting one from scratch, with a customizable template to keep your brand protected. Employee social media policies should cover personal vs. professional boundaries, legal compliance, and ways to enforce the rules. Your employees’ online presence can shape your company’s reputation. If you understand what makes a good social media policy, you’ll dodge common mistakes and give your team the tools to act responsibly online.
Information shared by patrons on the library’s social media should not be kept by the library or used for other purposes. Library social media policies should also refer users to the privacy policies of the host social media platform and clearly inform users when posts will be publicly available. Librarians and library staff should refer to the Committee on Professional Ethics’ “Ethics and Social Media Q&A” for additional information. A small mistake can land your brand into a massive PR crisis that can seriously damage its reputation.
It also operates as a community hashtag, adding up to over 95,000 tagged posts. For instance, Dove’s brand identity is about breaking stereotypes and inspiring people to feel comfortable in their skin. From their human-focused visuals to the uplifting tone of their posts and hashtags, the messaging on all their social profiles reflects this belief. Whether its their Facebook banner or Instagram posts, their messaging is consistent. Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn have built-in metrics that page administrators can access, and Twitter provides metrics for the past 28 days at any given time. University News/Announcements/CrisisTake care not to post University information that has not yet been announced on the main University accounts.
Again, the Hootsuite content library is a great help here since you can create a catalog of pre-approved images for your social team to draw from. You likely want to avoid sharing posts from your competitors, for example. We’ve mostly focused so far on creating consistency in your written language. While your employees will certainly have different accents and ways of speaking in your videos, your brand name and products need to be pronounced consistently. Again, there’s no right or wrong answer until you define your brand style in your style guide.
In today’s fast-moving digital world, a well-written Social Media Policy is more than just a document—it’s a strategic asset. It protects your brand’s reputation, ensures legal compliance, empowers employees, and provides a unified voice across all social platforms. Without a clear policy in place, even one unintentional post can result in significant damage. This step involves creating clear rules on how employees should use personal social media accounts during work hours and when representing the company online.
#2: Tiktok’s Community Guidelines
For company accounts, the policy might advise employees to avoid copyrighted images and credit the source of images where appropriate. Employees should also be aware of privacy laws, like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects the privacy of healthcare records. Some companies might go as far as to prohibit employees from mentioning them on social media, while others might encourage employees to advocate for their brand.
You wouldn’t expect a frontline worker to post like a Co-founder, and your social media policy should reflect that. Social media in the workplace is manageable—you just need to dedicate time and effort into developing a social media policy that works. The retail company states that no employee outside of the Walmart social team should answer customer complaints or questions directed toward the company. This kind of rule might seem restrictive, but it’s often best for larger companies to err on the side of caution. According to The 2023 Sprout Social Index, 21% of consumers follow brands on social because their values align with their own. If your employees use business equipment for personal reasons, this section should also explain how they should use it to avoid security breaches.
They guide your employees on what to post in case of an announcement for an event or an emergency. Every organization should take precautions to make sure their classified information isn’t shared recklessly on social media. But this is even more critical for government agencies like the U.S. As you review them, note how the key takeaways align with your own brand’s goals and compliance needs. Include guidelines on which AI tools are approved for use, and what tasks they can be used for. We’ve got a whole guide to AI compliance that can help you figure this out.