Employee Guidelines for Social Media Management

As the field of social media marketing grows, companies are finding that it’s a small world out there. Casual comments between employees – the kind that regularly pass at the water cooler or over drinks after work – can have lasting implications for your business when they’re disseminated over Twitter or recorded on Facebook. While you may feel uncomfortable dictating what your employees do and say when they’re not on the clock, it’s important to include employee guidelines in your social media management plans. They should understand that when they are part of an online community that includes your company, they represent your business. The following guidelines can help ensure that all of your employees are on the same page when it comes to your social marketing. Transparency If your employees are discussing your product or your market niche in an online community, they should always disclose any professional or personal affiliations. Transparency is a vital part of maintaining your business integrity. Privacy The flip side of transparency is a respect for privacy. All of your employees must understand what constitute proprietary information and which information falls under any non-disclosure agreements. And of course, they should never post disparaging comments about clients or employees publicly, especially if it is information they’ve gained through a professional association. Posting Guidelines When posting to company blogs or as a company representative, need to be mindful of the company image. Their content should be informative, brief and always factual. If they quote someone or post something copyrighted, they should always attribute the original source. Finally, because their posts reflect on the company image, they should double-check all facts, and run a spelling and grammar check. Professionalism Finally, your visible employees should maintain a professional image online. When posting about controversial subjects, they should keep the tone of their comments respectful. Even better, they should avoid those subjects entirely. While no small business owner relishes the idea of playing Big Brother over their employees’ social media lives, it’s important that they realize that their image is inextricably linked to the company’s image. Making sure that they understand the basics of your social media marketing and adhere to some common sense rules about online behavior should be a part of your social media management plan.