Social Media Policy: Definition, Examples, and How to Create It
Learn how to turn a bureaucratic requirement into a useful asset that guides individuals through online discourse.
Expertise in social media goes beyond understanding strategy, platforms, and best practices – it also requires knowledge about less glamorous subjects, such as social media policy.
Social media policy is an important, although often overlooked item in the greater scheme of a social media strategy, as it:
Provides guidelines for both users and organizations as a whole.
Ensures that interactions remain respectful, transparent, and aligned with objectives.
Serves as a safeguard against potential legal liabilities, reputational risks, and security breaches.
Moreover, social media policy should not be treated as a bureaucratic necessity, but as a compass that guides individuals through online discourse.
In this article, we share our knowledge of social media policy, starting with a definition, and ending with tips to create one.
What is social media policy? Definition and scope
Social media policy is a set of guidelines and rules established by an organization to govern the use of social media platforms by its employees, representatives, or members.
At its core, social media policy translates an organization’s values, mission, and objectives into actionable guidelines for interactions on social media.
Usually, it takes the form of a document that:
Defines the boundaries of acceptable conduct on social media.
Clarifies the rights and responsibilities of users.
Outlines the permissible uses of social media in alignment with organizational goals and regulatory requirements.
Are social media policies binding or mandatory?
Generally speaking, the members of an organization are obliged to play by the rules established in a company’s social media policy, particularly when it comes to:
Sharing business information and data.
Hate speech, discrimination, derogatory language.
Mentioning or tagging the company in social media posts.
Posting on behalf of the company.
Using copyrighted material.
There are limitations, though.
According to Katz, a Massachusetts-based law firm, social media policies can’t prohibit activities protected by federal law.
An example of this would be discussing employment conditions or wages, a practice that is protected by the National Labor Relations Act.
But for the most part, the answer is yes, abiding by a company’s social media policy tends to fall within regular contractual obligations.
What does social media policy typically specify?
While social media policy can address a wide (and sometimes wild) range of aspects, here’s an overview of what they usually specify:
Purpose and scope: Basically, the objectives it aims to achieve and the individuals or entities it applies to. Provides context for understanding the rationale behind the policy and who is bound by its provisions.
Authorized users and accounts: It identifies who is authorized to use social media on behalf of the business, delineating responsibilities for managing official accounts and representing the brand online.
Code of conduct: The expected behavior of employees or representatives when engaging on social media platforms. This includes guidelines for professionalism, respect, and adherence to legal and regulatory requirements.
Confidentiality and security: This part refers to the protection of confidential information, trade secrets, and proprietary data, outlining protocols for the safe use of sensitive information and preventing unauthorized disclosure.
Brand guidelines: The rules for maintaining brand consistency and integrity across social media. Examples include guidelines for logo usage, tone of voice, and messaging standards.
Crisis management: In the event of negative publicity, the policy provides protocols and escalation procedures for managing reputational risks on social media.
Intellectual property: Guidelines for respecting intellectual property rights when creating or sharing content on social media platforms. Attribution and fair use are usually covered in this part of the social media policy.
Monitoring and enforcement: A brief overview of the methods for monitoring compliance with the policy, as well as the consequences for violations.
Updates and amendments: An important addendum to reflect policy changes that take place over time.
On top of these, social media policy often includes sections for privacy (to avoid the disclosure of private information), content and speech (what’s allowed and what isn’t), conflict resolution (how to address and escalate), and technical boundaries (such as connecting a social media account to a specific software or service).
The items above can also serve as a social media policy template, so feel free to copy and customize it to fit the needs of your organization.
Social media policy examples
We mentioned several times that social media policy can vary in scope and extension, and this can be easily spotted in the examples below.
In it, the company provides guidelines for virtually every imaginable scenario and user, ranging from general rules for users to guidelines for automation companies that leverage the X API (making it a good example of social media policy for affiliates and partners).
Another great example is the Coca-Cola Company’s social community guidelines for employees and affiliates that work in their line of alcohol ready-to-drinks.
As you may have noticed, this social media policy differs from X’s in two key aspects.
First, it’s ultra-targeted, focusing on social channels for a specific line of products, and the employees working on the respective social accounts.
Second, it’s concise. No beating around the bush, just a simple set of rules to follow.
In short, it’s a good example of a social media policy for employees.
The dedicated webpage is searchable and easy to find.
Establishes clear boundaries and rules of engagement.
Offers insights on how to collaborate with user-generated content.
Provides useful links for extra context, and contact details for inquiries.
Unlike the previous examples, this social media policy is directed at social media users who interact with NASA’s social accounts.
Creating a social media policy: Final tips
If you want to create a social media policy from scratch, here’s our final list of tips to consider:
Set goals and an audience: Who’s the target of the policy? Once you define it, draft the goals you wish to achieve with the policy.
Research existing laws and regulations: Familiarize yourself with relevant laws about social media use (i.e. data privacy, advertising, IP rights) to ensure that your policy aligns with legal requirements.
Identify the key areas you want to influence with policy: Whether it’s confidentiality, brand integrity, or crisis management, adjust the policy to what your organization needs.
Keep it clear: Make the policy easy to understand, and avoid jargon. Use bullet points or subheadings to break down information into digestible sections.
Provide examples: Offer examples to illustrate acceptable and unacceptable behavior on social media platforms. Provide clarity on what constitutes appropriate engagement.
Establish consequences for violating the policy: Outline the consequences for violations of the social media policy, ranging from informal warnings to disciplinary action.
Educate and train: Share your policy with the group that will be affected by it, and include it in your employee training program if you already have one.
Be transparent: Make sure to include links and resources to your policy, and add the contact details of those in charge of overseeing and enforcing it.
By following these tips, you can create an effective social media policy that promotes responsible and ethical use of social media platforms within your organization.
Josh Krakauer is the CEO of Sculpt, that B2B social media agency you just discovered. Josh has launched social media campaigns for best-selling books, publicly-traded corporations, and early-stage startups. Josh works from Washington, DC, but still thinks Iowa City is the best city on earth.