Five Key Points for Social Media Policy

When developing a Social Media Policy for your organisation, consider the following:

1. Online behaviour does not need to be different from behaviour in any other arena: it is simply another form of organisation/client communication.  Staff should always exercise good judgement and act responsibly, just as they would with a phone call, letter or email.
2. The client needs should always prevail: policy should reflect an understanding of clients, their needs, and the online community or network.
3. The policy should address issues of copyright, client privacy and confidentiality, proprietary information.
4. Policy guidelines should empower staff: whilst social media policy should accentuate the can do, including clear instructions on what staff are cannot do actually enables staff to act with confidence and without fear.
5. The use of Social Media should do more than create another organisational billboard; it should add value to the client experience.  Being mindful of the principals of social media - community, conversation, collaboration and content creation - ensures that the client engages on a meaningful level with the organisation.