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From snapping selfies with friends to tagging favorite brands in our Stories, social media has become a large part of our everyday lives. Consumers expect brands to have an active online presence and the ability to answer any questions they have fast.
But a poorly timed or worded social post could harm your brand reputation. Yet, 45% of companies don’t have a social media policy for employees in place.
Although people may forgive your brand, the internet never forgets, so it’s better to be safe than sorry! Implementing a social media policy will help protect your company and give employees the space to advocate for themselves while staying true to the brand and it’s values.
What is a company social media policy?
A social media policy is part of a company’s business code of conduct that tells employees how they should represent themselves and the brand on social media. It includes guidelines to protect the brand’s security, privacy and legal interests.
Social media platforms provide avenues for brand promotion, but they also present opportunities to misrepresent your brand, which is why a good social media policy is so necessary.
Why do you need a social media policy for employees
Here are several reasons organizations should adopt a social media policy:
Create brand advocates
Social media policies allow you to unlock all the benefits of employee advocacy, without putting your brand credibility at risk.
When your employees post about the organization online, it can increase brand awareness, establish thought leadership and drive qualified leads. Along with helping social selling, employee posts can support social recruiting efforts, attracting top talent to your company.
Your social media policy is a critical advocacy tool, giving your employees the guidance they need to represent your brand accurately within social networks.
Promote DEI
Brand diversity in social media is more important than ever. Company alignment with personal values is 74% more important to consumers than it was in 2021, so brands need to show and tell audiences what the company values.
Amplifying diverse voices via social media is an actionable step brands can take to prioritize representation and attract top talent from marginalized communities. An inclusive social media policy will empower and encourage voices from all backgrounds to advocate for the brand.
Maintain a consistent brand identity
A social media policy ensures that whenever someone interacts with your company online, either through a brand channel or an employee, they get the same consistent experience. This develops a more reliable, trustworthy identity for your company, turning customers into loyal fans and ambassadors.
Minimize legal action against your brand
Social media presents complicated considerations such as privacy law and copyright law. A well made social media policy will protect the company from potential lawsuits.
Consult with your legal counsel and outline a list of do’s and don’ts for the company to follow. These rules of thumb will help ensure the organization and contractors are compliant with laws, reducing the risk of legal action against the company.
Protect your brand from privacy and security risks
There are many privacy and security risks involved with using social media. The larger your team is, the larger those risks become. A good social media policy combined with security protocols will protect your accounts against hacking, phishing and fraud accounts.
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. Whether it’s defending against phishing scams or ransomware attacks, make sure that everyone in your organization is vigilant about online protection.
Prevent a public relations crisis
Many organizations make the mistake of waiting until they’ve faced a public relations disaster to put a policy in place. Be proactive and implement a strategy in advance to minimize crisis.
Your social media crisis plan should align with your social media policy. For example, the policy can designate which teams are responsible for handling a PR crisis.
What every social media policy should include
A well-crafted social media policy will provide a variety of benefits, like empowering your staff and protecting your brand. But to relish those benefits, your policy needs to outline clear, comprehensive guidance.
Here’s some essential components every social media policy should have to get you started:
The purpose of the policy
Explain why the organization uses a social media policy. Be transparent and illustrate why your brand needs it. Here’s an example from our social media policy template: Who the policy applies to
Emphasize how the social media policy applies to everyone from executives and managers to interns and freelancers. An example from our template is below: Note how this section also provides the brand’s definitions of company-related information and social media. These clear distinctions ensure everyone within the organization is on the same page.
Personal account guidelines
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.
Regardless of whether or not your employees are speaking for you, the world might view them as a reflection of your brand. If your employees are acting questionably online, this raises suspicion about your business too.
Your social media policy will have a list of rules to follow, but the most important thing to remind your employees is that whatever they say on social media, they’re representing the company—even when on their personal accounts.
Outline basic expectations for behavior. For instance, they need to: Check their facts
Respect the law (including copyright law)
Avoid saying negative things about your brand or other companies Company association rules
It’s also a good idea to include a disclaimer on personal accounts to remind customers that your employee is an individual, not a spokesperson for your organization. Many social media policies ask team members to state all of their posts are based on their own opinions, like Best Buy: By separating themselves from their employees’ opinions, Best Buy reduces their risk of a PR crises.
Security and privacy guidelines
Your social media policy should also defend against security risks and privacy issues. Robust social media policies outline the dangers of sharing online and help keep your employees out of trouble.
At a minimum, these guidelines should include details about: Sharing proprietary or confidential company information
Posting defamatory, derogatory or inflammatory content
Posting information or pictures that imply illegal conduct
How to create secure passwords, including two-factor authentication for brand and personal social media accounts
How to keep software updated and devices secure
How to identify potential social media risks and attacks
How to respond if a security breach takes place The safer your employees are with their social media actions, the more secure your business becomes.
Legal guidelines
Your social media policy must provide clear guidelines on how to handle sensitive areas, particularly regarding the law and industry regulations. Legal requirements vary by country and state, so make sure you consult with your legal counsel.
Your policy can cover, but isn’t limited to the following: Credit sourcing: What is the source of the information your employee is sharing? Crediting images and other information is crucial.
Privacy and disclosure procedures: Let your employees know what is considered confidential, such as customer information.
Disclaimers: Let your staff know what a disclaimer means when they use it online. As the City of Edmonton outlines in their social media guidelines, even if someone states that their opinions are their own, they’ll still be seen as a representative of the city by the public.
Regulatory challenges: Certain industries like finance, government and healthcare have specific regulatory requirements. Outline any rules that may be associated with your industry. Responsible engagement
Clarify who can speak on behalf of your company on social media. A small problem could snowball if not handled appropriately. If someone leaves a negative comment about your brand online, make sure your employees know how to respond.
The degree of freedom you give your staff will depend on the nature of your business. If you do allow your team to offer advice to customers, it’s a good idea to train them on the following: Brand guidelines: How to talk about your products, services and company.
Etiquette: How to respond to comments from customers (tone of voice, customer escalation strategies, etc.).
Confidentiality: Which details should absolutely not be shared on social media.
Consequences: What will happen if they fail to follow the company’s social media policy. For some businesses, the best option will be to direct the situation toward the staff trained to manage PR matters and conflict resolution. You may have members of your team responsible for crisis response, message approval, customer service, public relations management and social engagement. An excellent way to ensure conflicts are always handled properly from the start is to set up pre-approved responses to common issues in a social media management platform like Sprout Social. These responses show your brand is aware of their concern and will direct them to the right person to resolve the problem.
You can even use Sprout’s social listening tools to ensure you’re the first to know when someone says something negative about your brand. The faster you’re aware of a problem, the easier it is to fix it before the fire spreads.
Social media policy examples
If you’re looking for inspiration, many social media policies are publicly available. Here are a few great social media policy examples that are specific and comprehensive:
Dell
Dell’s social media policy is digestible, yet still meets the requirements of the company’s needs.
The policy is broken down into several sections: purpose and scope, related policies and consequences of violations, social media account ownership and Dell’s five social media principles. Notice how Dell uses these sections to define expectations and ties the policy back to the company’s code of conduct and equal employment opportunity policy.
For example, Dell Technologies’ Five Social Media Principles mentions the guidelines are reiterated in onboarding. This section also lists zero-tolerance behavior, rules of thumb and specific steps to protect security, privacy and legal compliance. Playstation
Along with implementing a social media policy for employees, some brands create a separate policy for content creators and influencers. Playstation has a great social media policy for influencers.
Playstation begins by stating influencers must follow their rules whenever they post about Sony Interactive Entertainment products and services on any social media platform. Notice how they define collaboration as “free product, event tickets, or any other benefit or if you have an ongoing relationship with us.” From there, Playstation lists specific guidelines that fall underneath four main principles: be responsible, be transparent, be specific and be yourself.
For example, under the “be transparent” section, Playstation lists how to disclose the relationship. They note the disclosure should be visible to viewers without having to click a link or a “see more” prompt. Influencers must include #ad at the beginning or end of the post. They also include caveats for video content: Walmart
Walmart has a comprehensive set of guidelines and is an excellent model for enterprise companies with sophisticated social media presence across several channels. The retailer breaks down guidelines for both customers and associates for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The retail company states that no employee outside of the Walmart social team should answer customer complaints or questions directed toward the company. This kind of rule might seem restrictive, but it’s often best for larger companies to err on the side of caution. Target
Target also does a great job of breaking down their social media policy in a way that’s clear and easy to understand. Their policy begins with a purpose, definition of social media and policy application: Their guidelines are brief, but provide specific dos and don’ts for employees to follow: They include examples of potential policy breaches and best practices when using social media: The retailer also includes a summary of the social media policy within their code of ethics, with actionable steps to follow for specific scenarios and forms of communication: Social media policy tools for employee advocacy
Social media is a powerful tool for your business, but it takes intention to enjoy its benefits. A social media policy will help guide employees across the organization on how your brand should be represented on social.
Social media in the workplace is manageable—you just need to dedicate time and effort into developing a social media policy that works.
Take control of your brand’s social identity by showing employees they have the power to deliver incredible results for your company. Give them the tools they need to best represent the brand and themselves by creating an employee advocacy content strategy. Source link

External communication, marketing and public relations (PR) have been tricky for brands over the last few years. A number of geopolitical, social, economic and health events have triggered a distinct rise in consumer activism. Leading to an ever-increasing emphasis on how corporations reflect these values when communicating with their audiences.
With a documented brand strategy that incorporates a set of core values, companies are better positioned to engage with their audience on a regular basis as well as respond to unexpected events when they inevitably occur. When developed with integrity and incorporated into your business’s operations, your brand values provide an essential roadmap for maintaining your public image and brand reputation.
In this article, we’ll outline everything you need to know about developing and sharing your own brand values. Plus, we’ll share a bit about Sprout’s own journey to do the same just a few years ago and examples of other brands showcasing their values effectively on social.
What are brand values?
Brand values are the beliefs that govern the way an organization does business. Along with several other foundational elements (like mission, vision, story, voice, etc.), brands’ values play a key role in their identity and perception, both internally and externally.
These guiding principles can also act as an “authenticity meter,” helping leaders make strategic decisions and employees and customers gauge whether the organization is living up to its stated values. Deviation from these standards can quickly become a public relations nightmare.
Why it’s important to have and share your brand’s values
A strong set of brand values is important for a number of reasons. Your brand values can help you: Attract and retain employees who are a cultural fit
Make aligned decisions
Engage like-minded consumers
Build goodwill among your audience Of course, fostering a strong culture is important. But beyond that, there’s also a clear correlation between your values and your bottom line.
What compels customers to choose one brand over another? According to The Sprout Social Index ™ 2022, trust and aligned values top the list (at 40% and 36% respectively).
Another Sprout study found that 53% of people feel more connected to brands that share their values. And that feeling of connection is more than just warm fuzzies. It correlates to increased spending, with 57% of people saying they will increase their spending with brands they feel connected to. 3 examples of brand values
The first step toward truly becoming a values-driven brand is to share what you stand for. Values-driven businesses don’t shy away from putting their foundational standards front and center, where both employees and the public can access them. Transparency, trust and visibility are key tenets of everything they do.
One great way to get inspiration for developing your own values is to look to other brands. The following examples of brand values will get you started.
1. Sprout Social
We created a microsite dedicated to sharing our brand identity and beliefs. Here, you can find our mission, positioning and core values, among other details. We take it a step further by also sharing the process we followed to refresh Sprout’s values.
Sprout’s values include: Care Deeply
Embrace Accountability
Champion Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Promote Open, Authentic Communication
Seek Simplicity
Solve Hard Problems
Celebrate Change The following are examples of Sprout’s values on display on social. Finding a healthy balance between your social presence and your well-being isn’t always easy.
Your mental health should always come first. 💚 ⚖️ https://t.co/E7Mti8OAuP
— Sprout Social (@SproutSocial) December 16, 2022 2. For Days
For Days, a sustainable fashion brand, also shares their brand values on their website. With a mission to “eliminate clothing waste in order to benefit people and the planet,” it should come as no surprise their values similarly focus on sustainability and community.
For Days’ values include: Carefree, not careless
Connected, not isolated
Accountable, not irresponsible To see For Days’ values in action, look no further than their social platforms. 3. Marriott International
Marriott International, a well-known hospitality brand, has a set of values that aligns with its global reach and focus.
Marriott International’s values include: We Put People First
We Pursue Excellence
We Embrace Change
We Act with Integrity
We Serve Our World On social, Marriott International’s values are on full display. Meet Melissa Stricker, General Manager for Fairfield by Marriott Charleston in West Virginia. She launched her career journey with an internship at a hotel by the beach. Once Melissa got her feet wet, she realized this was more than a summer job — it was a place to grow a career. pic.twitter.com/mhoW5YcX6P
— Marriott International (@MarriottIntl) December 23, 2022 .@CornellMBA recently launched its Sustainable Tourism Destination Management course. Marriott International CEO Anthony Capuano was a guest speaker for the course, designed to train hospitality professionals in using sustainable practices. #Serve360 https://t.co/beUp9M4x5Y
— Marriott International (@MarriottIntl) December 19, 2022 How to define your brand’s values
When we refreshed our brand values in 2018, Sprout’s leaders followed a pretty rigorous process because they knew how important it was to get them right. The steps below outline how the team formulated our current set of values.
1. Establish your team
First, it’s important to bring in a diverse set of voices with different experiences and points of view. Make sure you have a sampling of different levels throughout the organization (i.e., not just senior leaders). We did this by sending an open invitation to the entire company and then whittling it down to a working group of 15 individuals.
2. Gather feedback
Among other responsibilities, the working group led department-based focus groups to harvest feedback from across the company. Our leadership team recognized that for the values development process to be successful, employees should feel ownership in the process.
Similarly, your facilitators should collect input from various departments and individuals. By the end of these sessions, you should have a sizable list of ideas.
Social listening can also help here, providing details about what your customers love about your brand and what they think you could do better.
3. Identify themes
With so many ideas to consider, it could get overwhelming to narrow down your set of values. That’s why we recommend you start by identifying themes among the submissions. For example, there might be 10 or 15 ideas around employee growth that are fairly similar and could be combined into a thematic grouping. Be sure to focus on your existing culture but also your aspirations for the future. Where are you today? But also—where do you want to go?
4. Refine and communicate
Now that you’ve developed a slimmer list of themes, it’s time to present them to the executive team for feedback. This “small council” will refine the themes down to a manageable set of values that reflect the input and research gathered throughout the process. It was through this exercise that we established Sprout’s seven core values. From there, leadership should communicate the final list to the rest of the organization.
How to communicate your brand values to customers through social media
Connecting with your audience on social is a must for modern brands. Regardless of the platforms you choose to show up on, a social presence is required to remain relevant.
And while it’s important to share various types of content to showcase your brand voice and personality, make sure your values are showcased regularly as well. Authentically embodying your brand values in the content you share helps your audience see that they are more than just words on your website; your values are an inherent part of the way you think, act and engage.
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
1. Put them on your website
Okay, this one is not technically a social media tactic, but it’s so important we decided to include it here. The more visibility and transparency your audience has into your values and the things that make your brand tick, the more connected they’ll feel. And we’ve already established that leads to more sales. While social media is a great place to showcase your values, don’t forget to include them on your website, too. 2. Share your story
People like stories. It’s how we make sense of the world. And brands that are really good at telling their stories often build a loyal following, too. Brand storytelling goes beyond the facts to highlight the “why” behind your business. It makes your brand more human and easier to connect with. It also enables you to share your values in action. Did you know going vegan is better for the environment? We’ve teamed up with @weareveganuary to challenge you to #GOVEGAN this January! Swipe to see the 30 Day Impact of a vegan lifestyle ➡️
Posted by Pacifica on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 3. Partner with influencers
Whether your perfect influencer is a precocious child prodigy, a well-known celebrity or a really cute dog (see the example below), borrowing the cache of other brands or creators that share similar values can multiply the effect of your values-driven social content. Get in front of more eyes by finding a shared cause and promoting it together. 4. Partner with nonprofits
Another example of “two accounts are better than one” is partnering with nonprofits that aid causes related to your values. This can go a long way toward helping you authentically embody your brand values on social. You might collaborate on a project (as in the example below) or you might simply interact with each other, like sharing each other’s content. Either way, the symbiotic amplification is a win-win. Today on Giving Tuesday, we’re so excited to debut the Rothy’s x FEED Projects collection designed for good. Meet five…
Posted by Rothy’s on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 5. Showcase your employees
When you think about a company’s values, you can’t forget about the employees. A brand’s commitment to its values is also illustrated in the way it treats its team members. And employees are the ones living your values in action every day. Allow them to share what they love about working for your company and what your values mean to them. Employee advocacy is an easy, organic way to humanize your brand while increasing your reach. Congrats to Dousan for joining the team as an Interaction Designer at Android!#Noogler first impression? “I was really blown away by the learning resources we have access to and how much everyone is willing to lend a helping hand.”
Thanks for sharing. Welcome to #LifeAtGoogle! pic.twitter.com/OsDyhLpp2C
— Life at Google (@lifeatgoogle) December 27, 2022 6. Keep up with current events
Keep your brand feeling fresh and relevant by weighing in on things that are actually happening in the world right now. The past few years have shown that consumers want companies to stand behind what they say they believe. Consider doubling down on the stuff that matters to you and your people, but of course, exercise caution.
While these efforts can be polarizing, they will ultimately help you curate an audience of loyal fans that want what you’re selling. Remember, if you’re talking to everyone, you’re actually reaching no one. When it aligns with your brand values, make it crystal clear where you stand on the issues. Los Angeles City Council has voted to ban new fossil fuel drilling and phase out existing oil and gas wells over the next 20 years. Let’s keep the pressure on and urge @GavinNewsom to stop oil and gas drilling across the state of California
Take action: https://t.co/wCBqbU0PXW
— Patagonia (@patagonia) December 27, 2022 It’s about time our economic leaders start to look a little more like the rest of the country. Economic volatility affects women, and especially women of color, disproportionately.
It helps to have some people in charge who understand what that means — and how to fight it. 👏🏽
— Ellevest (@Ellevest) December 16, 2022 Find the issues that matter to your audience
Your brand values are just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to ensuring your internal and external communications are effective. Now that you’ve developed them, it’s time to incorporate them into your larger corporate communications strategy. With this plan in place, your teams can navigate any event, from product launches to public relations crises, with ease.
Download the free corporate communication plan template to get started. Source link