If an employee uses their personal Facebook account to post derogatory remarks about a colleague or engage in online bullying, this could lead to a toxic work environment. A good social media policy would address how to handle online harassment, even if the behavior takes place on personal accounts. Imagine an employee posts an inappropriate comment on Twitter that includes offensive language about a competitor. This kind of behavior could tarnish the company’s image and create unnecessary conflict. In response, a well-defined social media policy would outline the specific consequences for such actions. Employers should set clear expectations about when and how employees can use social media at work. [newline]For instance, personal use should be restricted to lunch breaks or non-work hours.

Create Linguistic Consistency Guidelines

This includes situations where the University is waiting to officially release information to the public and/or members of the press. Here are some handy tips for rolling out a social media policy for your organization. Imagine you’re about to craft a social media policy — your playbook for the digital playground. It’s like cooking up a gourmet meal — you need the right ingredients in just the right amounts.

Tips To Start Creating Social Media Guidelines For Your Company

If you use Vista Social, your team can easily create, customize, and schedule posts for each of your clients’ social media profiles. Opt for a tool with automated notifications that alert your team members when your social media guidelines document is updated to keep everyone in the loop. There is a time and place for verbal guidelines, but it’s always best to write down your social media standards and policies.

#2 Advanced Template (view/download)

Regular audits and ongoing training round everything out so teams stay ahead of issues, not just react to them. The policy notes that the company must pre-approve statements discussing health benefits. In Australia, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) regulates financial institutions. They provide specific directions for financial influencers and firms that work with them. New hires, agencies, contractors — anyone touching social needs to understand the rules before they log in.

Ensure employees understand image usage rights, copyright, and other legal constraints. When using images of people, always ask for their permission before posting. While AI tools can assist in speeding processes up, it’s crucial to verify permissions manually to avoid any potential legal complications. For example, there might be a common problem you’re hoping to solve with your new policy — like employees posting too much profanity.

First, Hootsuite allows you to create custom permissions for all users. You can require approvals from senior staff or compliance officers before content can be scheduled or published. The University of Texas at Austin’s generative AI policy is a great example of how to set clear, practical guardrails around these new tools. It breaks down exactly how students, faculty, and staff should (and shouldn’t) use AI. All healthcare social media marketers should get familiar with the HIPAA Privacy Rule.

Make sure to also include instructions for handling mistakes, such as when to delete and repost or when to issue a correction. One small mistake—like a misunderstood post or a leaked private conversation—can go viral in seconds. Having social media protocols in place helps your team avoid costly missteps by giving them a clear roadmap for posting, responding, and engaging online.

This includes social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn, but it also includes blogs and forums where users can leave comments. Monitoring employees’ social media activity requires careful consideration of both ethical and legal factors. Employers must ensure that their practices comply with privacy laws, labor regulations, and company ethics to avoid legal repercussions or breaches of trust. A strong Social Media Policy can cover a wide range of situations and behaviors. Below are examples of how different types of social media misconduct can be addressed within the framework of a policy.

In regulated industries, all communications on social media need to be archived. That includes ads, replies, comments, Stories, Reels, DMs, edits, and even deleted content. Staying compliant on social media means building consistent systems that ensure every post, workflow, and interaction follows the rules that apply to your organization.

While your employees can post whatever they want on their personal social media accounts, it’s your responsibility to set policies for what you can and can’t tolerate as a company. Social media is a powerful tool, but it comes with significant responsibility. Employees’ actions online can have far-reaching consequences, both for themselves and for their employers. It’s essential for companies to hold employees accountable for their social media behavior and establish clear consequences for violations of company policies.

Engage staff, board members, and volunteers in the policy development process to ensure buy-in and relevance. Encourage an open dialogue where they can share concerns and suggestions to enhance the effectiveness of the policy. Define how compliance with the social media policy for non-profits will be monitored. Check out our visual content strategy guide to define your visual aesthetic on social to boost growth and engagement. Plus, if you offer live trainings, you can quickly answer questions your team might have about the material.

Not everyone wants to have their photo shared all over social media. You should advise your employees to give some thought to the conversations that they have offline with colleagues or customers, giving them guidance around maintaining the privacy of those conversations. Remind employees to use their best judgement and common sense when engaging on social media. While AI tools can offer insights and suggestions, they are not foolproof and may not always understand the full context. Tell them that if they’ve made a mistake on social media make some headway towards fixing it and setting the record straight. When you finish writing, the next step is sharing the policy with your company.