Sharing your company’s expectations for employees’ social media conduct can help all parties avoid pitfalls. It keeps your team and brand looking professional, and it might even inspire your team to confidently advocate for your business, knowing when and how to speak publicly about your company. You can’t control everything your employees do and say on their personal social media accounts. However, it’s important to show them why their behavior on personal profiles affects your company and how they can avoid conflict. And since social media is a common resource for scammers and criminals, it’s imperative your social media policy includes guidelines that protect both your employees and company.

Here Are Some Examples Of Well-known Companies’ Published Social Media Policies:

The FTC most recently updated its disclosure guidelines in June 2023. The FTC made it clear that brands can’t use virtual influencers — or any AI-generated personas — to create fake or misleading endorsements. The FTC requires content creators to disclose all “material connections” to brands. This includes personal, family, and employment relationships — not just financial relationships.

Step 7: Develop Crisis Management Plan

You should have a clear plan that establishes objectives and desired outcomes. There are several social media tools you can utilize to maximize your digital presence. For instance, you might say, “If you encounter a negative comment or review, never argue or post disrespectful comments. Instead, remain calm, polite and seek to resolve the issue professionally.”

Adidas Social Media Guidelines

Even if you’re outside the U.S., HIPAA’s general principles provide good guidance. That’s a question each firm will have to answer depending on its risk tolerance. Your compliance strategy should involve input from the highest levels of the organization. Static content is considered an ad and must go through pre-approval for compliance.

Foster community engagement by initiating conversations, soliciting user-generated content, and responding to feedback or inquiries in a transparent and authentic manner. Regularly review and update your social media guidelines to reflect changes in your brand strategy, audience preferences, platform algorithms, or industry trends. Assign a responsible individual or team to maintain the guide and communicate updates to relevant stakeholders to ensure that everyone remains aligned and up-to-date. Many companies present a list of what not to do and call them their “employee social media guidelines.” Innovative brands see the power of employee ambassadors. Guidelines help you execute the social media strategy that’s been established for your company. They direct your employees on post-related content and the frequency of posts that they need to follow so you can achieve your brand’s goal on social media.