Top Ten Tips for… Writing a Robust Social Media Policy

Define its purpose

Clearly explain the objective of your policy. This could include protecting the company’s reputation, ensuring consistency, maintaining professionalism, and complying with UK law (like GDPR).

Use your procedure to set out how social media should be used to support the delivery and promotion of your work, and the use of social media by staff in both a professional and personal capacity.

Clarify responsibility

State who’s responsible for creating and managing official organisational social media accounts and content.

Clearly defining who manages and posts on official accounts minimises the risk of content being shared that may be damaging or inconsistent with your brand standards. This helps maintain quality control and accountability.

Give an overview of your channels

It might sound obvious, but not everyone will necessarily be familiar with every social media channel. Do you use Facebook, Instagram, X? What about LinkedIn and TikTok? Do you have specific purposes and audiences for each channel? Provide a quick guide to how each channel is used.

Highlight the importance of confidentiality and data protection

Ensure everyone understands the importance of protecting company information and adhering to UK data protection laws.

UK laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), place strict rules on handling personal data. Use the policy to remind staff of their legal obligations to make sure you stay compliant and protect you from data breaches.

Establish tone and brand voice

A consistent brand is essential to building a recognisable and trustworthy identity.

Provide guidelines on the tone, style and messaging that should be used when posting on company social media to help maintain this. Use examples to illustrate what good practice looks like.

Promote respectful communication

Emphasise the importance of respectful and professional communication and explain that inappropriate behaviour could result in disciplinary action. This protects you from potential backlash or reputational risk – inappropriate online conduct can lead to complaints or even legal action.

Cover what to do in a crisis

Outline steps for addressing negative comments, public relations crises, or social media incidents that could harm your organisation.

Social media crises can escalate quickly. Having a clear process for addressing negative publicity or complaints helps mitigate damage and ensures a coordinated and professional response.

Include guidelines for customer engagement

Be clear about how to engage with followers, respond to complaints, and handle customer service issues through social channels.

People are increasingly turning to social media as a way of contacting brands and organisations to resolve issues. Make sure staff know how to respond to different kinds of queries and signpost as necessary.

Cover use of personal social media accounts

Remind staff that any information they make public could affect how people perceive your brand – it’s important to be clear when you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of the organisation.

If staff use their personal social media accounts to promote and talk about their work, they should use a disclaimer such as: "The views expressed on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent positions, policies or opinions of cHRysos HR.”

Don’t forget to review and update your policy

Commit to reviewing and updating the policy regularly to keep up with social media platform changes, new legal requirements, and evolving organisational goals.

Social media platforms frequently introduce new features or rules, and regulations also change over time. Regular updates ensure the policy stays relevant and continues to protect your brand in an evolving digital environment.

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cHRysos HR Solutions are a UK wide HR training and consultancy company offering CIPD accredited qualifications, Apprenticeships, Training and HR Services to SMEs. For more information about how cHRysos HR can help you or your teams successfully achieve further qualifications, contact us on info@chrysos.org.uk or call 03300 562443.