This guidance should apply to new posts, retweets, shares and hashtags. Your employees may already be vigilant about phishing scams and the like. We’ve got a full post on image copyright guidelines that you can link to or learn from. When employees discuss company-related matters on social, they are required by law to identify themselves as employees.

Share The Knowledge

[Company Name] reserves the right to update this policy at any time to reflect changes in laws, technologies, or company practices. Employees will be notified of any updates to this policy and are encouraged to review it regularly. However, it is important for businesses to give specific examples when the logo should not be used.

In general, consider the security, privacy and confidentiality of all communication methods and when in doubt, seek consultation and supervision before embarking into unfamiliar or uncertain areas. Observe all state and federal regulations such as FERPA and HIPAA, as well as University Policy(ies). Journalists should take responsibility for their work, including their social media presence and messaging.

Whether you’re using your accounts for business or personal purposes, you may easily get sidetracked by the vast amount of available content. Also, by “social media”, we refer to a variety of online communities like blogs, social networks, chat rooms and forums – not just platforms like Facebook or Twitter. This establishes a more timeless “brand” of social media for Coke rather than specific practices that may become dated quickly.

As such, personnel and volunteers should not communicate one-on-one with minors through personal websites or social media accounts. Your brand’s personality and visuals get you noticed, but community engagement is where the real relationships are built. Every like, comment, and direct message is a chance to show your audience you’re listening. If you don’t have clear rules of engagement, your team is flying blind, and that leads to inconsistent replies and missed opportunities. If your company is thinking about a brand refresh, it helps to see what has worked for others. You can explore some iconic rebranding examples to see how powerful visual changes can be.

Avoid making disparaging remarks about the organization, its products, or its employees. Negative or controversial posts can undermine the company’s reputation, especially if they are viewed by potential clients, job candidates, or current employees. These guidelines identify who runs your company’s social media account.

From content creation to legal approvals, everything should follow a documented, repeatable process. That consistency ensures nothing slips through without the right eyes on it. Platforms like Hootsuite make this easier by letting you assign custom access levels to every team member and set up simple, built-in approval flows. That way, the right people review content before it goes live, reducing risk and keeping everything on brand. Start with a social media audit to uncover social accounts related to your brand. Any brand that works with outside salespeople needs to watch for inappropriate claims.

#3: Youtube’s Community Guidelines

Add a social media style guide to your corporate social media policy that explains how employees are expected to represent the brand online. A social media policy template typically begins with a statement that recognizes the right of employees to use social networks. The following paragraph may be a narrative that describes how online comments carry the potential to damage your nonprofit’s reputation. Every social media post or share becomes part of a brand’s online legacy. To ensure that this legacy remains consistent with the brand’s values, guidelines for posting content and sharing are vital.

Regular reviews ensure that the policy stays updated, addressing new platforms, changing trends, or shifts in the brand’s objectives. Human resources, on the other hand, knows the pulse of the organization—its people, culture, and values. When these three unite, you’re not just getting a policy, but a harmonized strategy that’s holistic, compliant, and deeply aligned with the brand’s ethos. While understanding the common pitfalls provides clarity, crafting an efficient social media policy requires proactive steps.

This example of social media policy is short, sweet, and to the point. You do not want your social media policy to be too long because your employees may not read it. The goal of the social media policy is to get your employees to think about what they share on personal accounts and company accounts.

Once you’ve written them, consider working with a designer to create a branded version, so you can include visual examples of your social media posts to engage and inspire your employees. Social media guidelines are a set of rules for governing what kind of content you publish on your brand’s social media accounts. Start by explaining why your organization needs a social media policy. This could be to avoid misinformation, protect customer data, or keep communications consistent.

For non-profits trying to make the most of social media, the choice of management tools can be overwhelming. Which one will save you the most time and effort, if you’re a non-profit struggling with resources and people power? In this e-book, we compare the most popular social media management platforms in depth, so you can make an informed decision. These guidelines are intended to complement existing university policy.

I’ve seen agency employees post on behalf of a client and not disclose it. While other companies have disclosure guidelines in their policies, Intel takes it step further and makes sure its team knows exactly what Intel expects when it comes to FTC disclosures. There are three sections for disclosure, protect trade secrets, and use common sense.

And a readymade checklist that your employees can refer to can make your job much easier. Educate your employees on your brand’s purpose to be present on social media. Your company values can help you outline the reason behind your social media presence. Well-thought-out corporate social media policies help keep a company’s presence consistent and scalable, no matter who posts or where.

A clear policy protects both the brand and its employees from reputational, compliance, and security risks. Keep reading to learn more and download our free, customizable social media policy template so you can start building or updating yours right away. A company’s social media guidelines should be used by anyone across the business who’s creating content for social media.

Account-generated postsBe mindful that all content posted on OUSMAs affect the image and reputation of the University. Never post content that contains profanity, hate speech, personal attacks against others or slurs. Posts should not disparage anyone, particularly the University, University System office or trustees, University employees or students, or other institutions.