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Social media policies ensure that a brand’s social media presence, posts and overall tone of voice are consistent, regardless of any changes that occur on each platform or within a company’s department. A robust Social Media policy has been proven to ensure stability on various platforms while also reducing risks. Still, many companies in Trinidad and Tobago do not implement them.
Let’s explore why Social Media Policies are important and how businesses of all sizes can create one:
What is a Social Media Policy?
A social media policy is a document that provides guidelines and requirements for all digital communications by the company across all social media platforms. The aim is to create a consistent brand voice and presence regardless of changes in the social media department. However, many companies also use it as a measure to mitigate any social media risks such as legal challenges or any PR crises that may arise.
How do I create a Social Media Policy for my business?
1. Designated Roles and Responsibilities
Regardless of the size of an organization, businesses should have a social media policy that designates responsibilities and a standard reporting line in the event any issues occur. For example, your policy can include:
The Social Media Manager at (insert company name here) is responsible for:
- Social Media customer service across platforms
- Copywriting and proofreading for all social media posts
- Scheduling of all content
- Monitoring of the brand online
- Providing monthly content calendars
However, it would also include who that person has to report to, for example:
- Refer to (insert role here) in the PR department for any customer complaints that are controversial or negative.
- Send all content calendars to the manager of the social media department two weeks before the 1st day of each month.
- All detailed graphics have to be done by [insert role here] in the art department.
The aim is to create very clear responsibilities and roles for any new members and to remind members of who they can report to if any issues arise.
2. Content Guidelines
Many businesses have a standard social media “look” and voice”. Having a clear set of guidelines to ensure that this is consistent is needed especially for businesses that use agencies or hire people to do their social media pages. Content guidelines would include:
- Colour themes
- Fonts the brand uses on social media
- Story themes
- Description of the voice, for example, simple and professional, “humorous and stream of conscious” like, friendly and informative. This step should also include examples.
These can also be adjusted for each platform.
3. Security Measures
Many local businesses do not cover all the security measures that are required to keep their social media pages safe from hackers. Losing a business page, especially one that has a significant following, is a massive loss. Therefore, the social media policy should also include security measures such as:
- How frequently or the exact dates when the passwords for the companies social media accounts have to be changed. Some companies also change the credit or debit cards that are linked to their social media payments so the dates and frequency of changing those cards should also be listed if applicable.
- Who is allowed to access the company’s social media passwords
- What devices can be used to access these accounts? Larger organizations do not allow social media managers to access their pages via their personal mobile and typically only on company computers.
Creating a social media policy is known to help a lot of organizations uphold a certain level of consistency, reduce certain risks and create policies for any unforeseen events. While many businesses see it as an additional task, it can greatly reduce time for the company in the future.
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