considerations for social media policy: a marketer's purview - 2012
DESCRIPTION
I gave this presentation at TechAmerica, June, 2012, HR and Legal Social Media Policy Roundtable event. There is much balancing to be done when creating social media policy. You need to inform and guide, but you need to be careful you do not set up so many restrictions that the business does not fully benefit from the use of social media by employees.TRANSCRIPT
Considerations for Your Corporate Social Media Policy
A Marketer’s Purview
Full disclosure: I am not a legal or a human resources professional.
Fine print: One of my favorite movies is Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”
Very fine print: All movie images in this presentation are from The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock 1963. Image above is by Gabriel Hardman, 2011, http://heathencomics.deviantart.com/art/Hitchcock-s-The-Birds-sketch-200205461
HR and Legal
“A lot of our employees now have Twitter accounts.
It’s becoming difficult to control. We need
guidelines.”
“A lot of our employees now have Twitter accounts.
It’s becoming difficult to control. We need
guidelines.”
Personality Has Replaced the LogoPersonality Has Replaced the Logo
Policy must allow for true human connection.
Tales of corporate social media horror abounds.
Policies should guide, not frighten employees
Privacy and regulatory issues should probably be higher in concern.
Monitor, listen and guide as needed.
Give your employees room to experiment.
Why should you have a separate policy for social media from the usual employee code of conduct?
Social media platforms have mostly been created for personal use and people tend to forget that online the lines of personal and professional life get blurred.
Who are the employees that need to be made aware of social media policies?
All of them!
Who owns a branded social account if an employee started it or has a strong personal brand association to it.
There should be clarity in your policy about who can create ‘branded’ social media accounts and who ultimately owns them.
Monitor regulators: NLRB, FDA, FTC, SEC, FINRA & other industry specific regulators
• Look at other company policies for guidance but don’t assume they are appropriate for your business.
• Monitor social media about and from your company.
• Clarify ‘who owns’ any company branded social media accounts.
• Clarify the company messaging on company/branded social media accounts.
• Revisit and update your policy as needed. It should be a living document.