Whether you are hiring a social media marketing agency or executing your social media strategy on your own, you need to pay a lot of attention to your social media guidelines. The reason these guidelines exist is because every organisation requires a certain set of rules that govern their business. Just like there are rules for employee behaviour or laws that govern the country, these guidelines are the basic principles that every employee must adhere to, for as long as they are a part of that organisation.
The one thing that is vital when determining these guidelines is an in-depth knowhow of the social media platform, its capabilities and how there are ways to control the kind of activities that companies, and employees who represent them, execute on their social media profiles.
Keeping Things under Control
A prescriptive attitude is a big no-no on a medium dedicated to freedom of expression. But, just as your HR policies and employee etiquette guidelines in your workplace serve as a guide to acceptable behaviour in the real world, your social media guidelines will set the tone for employee behaviour online.
Every company wants to have control over their reputation management. The trick is to align your brand image and corporate philosophies into a user-friendly and encouraging social media policy.
Whilst employees can be a massive support in promoting a company on social media, your organisation’s guidelines should aim to channel that effort rather than restricting it. A clear and precise list of do’s and don’ts will give everyone the confidence to build your brand through posts and tweets.
Prevention is Better than Cure
The one thing you cannot do is turn back time. If an employee does end up posting something offensive or damaging, the only way to overcome that is to take appropriate action, as an organisation, immediately. This is where the social media guidelines become even more useful. Not only do they set out, in clear and no uncertain terms, what is expected of every employee, it also defines what the company should do in case of such a problem.
Social media guidelines, when designed by a professional social media marketing agency like JQ Digital, will incorporate every possible scenario to ensure that your organisation has a progressive social media policy that encourages employees to be a part of the platform. With everyone working together to promote the company, you’ll be harnessing the true power of social media.