Where do social media policies fit into your overall social media strategy? This white paper from Stevens and Tate Marketing identified nine best practices for social media.

This white paper addresses:

• social environment
• consumer behavior
• benefits of being social
• social involvement ladder
• valuable ways to use social media
• how to measure results

According to Dan Gratin, “Companies are still struggling to understand how to monetize social media. The key is to treat social marketing like any other corporate initiative—establish a business and messaging strategy that elevates the brand and execute on it.”

He explained that social marketing has changed the way companies disseminate their messages.

The white paper highlights best practices that will help brands create social medai.

1. Define goals – Establish objectives up front: short-term sales, to complement a promotional campaign, to engage existing customers, raise brand awareness, increase searchability, encourage word of mouth, or spread news and information about business.
2. Develop a social media policy – Start by assessing customers, the tribes they are a part of, how they use social media, and their level of involvement with competitors.
3. Make it personal – Post relevant, timely and meaningful content that engages customers and they will be more encouraged to “spread the word” to their network of peers.
4. Partner with causes customers care about – Whether it’s being green or feeding the hungry, people flock to support causes, ideas, organizations, or programs that they care about.
5. Engage customers through polls and contests – By posting surveys, polls and trivia questions, consumers respond and spark conversations among their friends as well as a company’s followers.
6. Reward customers for getting involved with the brand – Contests, promotions and giveaways are excellent drivers to get more followers to social sites and they reward the time and efforts people spend supporting the brand and sharing it with others.
7. Stay active – Create a set timeline for posts; and post relevant, meaningful and respectful comments.
8. Protect the brand – Create a custom URL and be smart about privacy and the company’s confidential information.
9. Track results – By using a series of free social media monitoring, tracking and ROI tools, it is easy to evaluate the success of social efforts, and immediately make changes to campaign or take steps to help improve social strategy.

What else would you add?

To download, go to The Power of People: Social Media for 2011 and Beyond white paper at www.stevens-tate.com.

How do you improve your Social Media policies? With more firms using Facebook to connect with customers, there are many grey areas on what you can – and cannot – say on Social Media sites. So, what policies do you need to prioritize first?

1. Transparency – have you told readers that the views you share are yours and yours alone? These opinions don’t reflect those of your company. While this may seem obvious, if you see a company email address or reply on a business blog, then others may assume you’re speaking on behalf of the company. And maybe you ‘feel’ you are.

2. Privacy – everything you write, develop and create at work belongs to your employer. For this reason, they are entitled to look in all your files, folders, and devices. Your employer has the right to read your employment documents – it’s in your employment contract – and all documents related to work.

3. Be Professional – when you’re on the company blog, customers and potential customers are watching everything you write. What you think is funny, may offend others. Instead, stay polite and be respectful to your company, colleagues, and customers.

4. Linking – if you link to your company on your blog, clarify that they are your employer, not your client. Don’t mislead others.

5. Legal Action – if you step out of line, your company is entitled to freeze your accounts and remove any offensive materials from their blog, Facebook page and Twitter account.

Finally, keep it confidential.

Gossiping is part of human nature. Make sure what you write, publish and share does not in any way undermine the company’s reputation. You might think a funny photo taken at the office party is fine for Facebook, but others may take offense. Especially if they look dumb.

If someone asks you what project you’re working on. You don’t need to give them all the inside details. Who knows who they really work for and why they are asking.  Don’t disclose any information that may harm you, your employer or third parties.

What else would you add?

What’s the main advantage of having a Social Media policy? From a legal perspective it protects you if an employee acts unprofessionally on a Social Media site, even out of office hours.

One UK firm, Slater Heelis, recently developed their own Social Media policy.

Tracey Guest, head of employment at Slater Heelis, says: “Many employers now recognize and accept social media as an integral, inevitable and important part of their employees’ work and social life.”

She added that most are failing to plan for the “repercussions of any misuse of these channels, which can have serious and very costly outcomes.”

The Slater Heelis policy gives practical guidance to its employers on how to:

•  Pre-empt and
• Handle employment issues

…especially those related to the Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and blogging.

The Social Media policy covers areas that many employers are unclear about, such as:

• Can employers lawfully use social media to vet candidates during the recruitment process?
• Can employers dismiss employees for gross misconduct for using the company name on their personal blog?

Do you have a Social Media policy in place?

If not, what is the main reason your firm doesn’t have one? Lack of Social Media writing skills? Hard to find qualified Social Media policy writers?

InformationWeek reports that the National Labor Relations Board released a report in August 2011 on how Social Media is used in the workplace.

The report concluded that employees can’t be fired for what they say on social media sites providing they “use their chosen platform to talk about improving their workplace.”

Michael Brito, explains that the ruling stemmed from an incident when an employee from the non-profit Hispanic United of Buffalo complained about a co-worker on Facebook, accusing the co-worker of slacking off at the office.

Other colleagues made nasty comments; management heard about the Facebook discussion and fired the five employees involved.

Of course, it didn’t end there.

An administrative law judge ruled that the employees had the right, under the National Labor Relations Act, to conduct their Facebook discussion. The non-profit was made to reinstate them with back pay.

Social media governance policy

The problem here is what can employees say at work on Social Media sites or, in some cases, outside of work hours? And how does this affect their rights?

According to DLA Piper:

• 33% of companies have disciplined employees social media related activities
• 21% have issued employees a warning
• 25% of the businesses have a social media policy in place

How do you approach this issue? One suggestion is to create – and implement – better Social Media policies.

• A social media policy is a legal document
• It’s usually prepared by a company’s legal department
• It highlights what employees can do/say on Social Media sites
• It addresses compliance issues and sharing confidential information about the business, products, partners, and customers.

Guidelines are different from policies.

For example, guidelines might encourage staff to participate in conversations where they can add value and can demonstrate knowledge.

Guidelines serve as “rules of engagement”. They ‘suggest’ how employees should interact on Social Media sites. But is this enough?

Looking for reason to develop a social media policy? Many firms are now finding that the lack of a policy is costing them, in real financial terms, when disgruntled employees sue. And win the case.

For example, in the UK, the latest changes to unfair dismissal rights, may not have the desired effect. Rotherham’s Oxley and Coward Solicitors LLP say the it change the type of claim but doesn’t resolve the underlying problem of employers managing fallout from negative social media issues. The UK government has announced a new two year qualification period for unfair dismissal.

“The Department for Business has suggested this change could save employers £6m a year in tribunal costs and see unfair dismissal claims fall by around 3,000 a year, but we could simply see an increase in other types of claim,” said Oxley & Coward employment law specialist Dawn Cherry.

The latest claims for employment practice relate to managing the growth of social media in the workplace.

As employers and employees alike use Twitter, Facebook and Blogs while workings, the potential for conflicts of interest is increasing.

Two recent examples highlighting the need for companies to have clear policies in place.

Pub chain Wetherspoon successfully defended an unfair dismissal case after an employee posted rude comments about customers on her Facebook page during working hours.

Wetherspoon won the case as it had a clear policy in place which set out the grounds for disciplinary action

Another arose when an employee lost his temper on Facebook and was found to be unfairly dismissed.

Why?

His employer has no social media policy in place.

“Employees need protection against bad employers, but more often than not, cases will succeed because due process has not been followed by an employer, rather than because of any planned intent,” added Dawn.

He added that employers must make sure they keep up to date with the law, particularly when considering new areas like social media and ensure that both “policy and practice are robust”.

Writing social media policies is easy; implementing them is hard. The difficulty for HR managers is getting sufficient buy-in from their staff to make the policies effective.

If you create the social media policies but your staff rejects or resist their usefulness, then it’s unlikely they’ll be used or applied correctly. Staff may also deliberately misinterpret them or use ‘passive aggressive’ methods to undermine the policies effectiveness.

How to cope with negative reaction to social media policies

A good example of this is at Southern Grampians Shire. The council adopted a policy governing use of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Unfortunately, not everyone is impressed.

Some councilors felt the policy should be included in their code of conduct. This is not unusual as many HR Depts include the Social Media policies in their Employee Handbook or its equivalent.

“I see this policy as a knee-jerk reaction to social media,” Cr Paul Battista said.

However, Mayor Bob Penny said local government needed policies to govern its operations. “If there are errors or alterations which can be identified over a period of time, they can be amended,” he said.

Shire services director Bronwyn Herbert said the social media policy – based on a template developed on behalf of the Municipal Association of Victoria – aimed to provide understanding and guidance.

“It’s certainly an issue for the local government industry, how we manage this new platform, this new way of communicating with the community,” Ms Herbert said.

However, Deputy mayor Bruach Colliton voted against the social media policy’s adoption.

“I don’t like the idea of us introducing more and more policies. I probably would have preferred this to have been expanded on the current media policy.”

Implementing social media policies

So, how can you increase the adoption of Social Media policies?

Here are three suggestions:

1. Include stakeholders before you create the guidelines. People are more likely to support the rollout if they’ve been consulted in advance.
2. Use the term ‘guidelines’ instead of policy. Why? Policy seems to have a negative association. It’s seen as rule-based, formal and inflexible. Guidelines are less threatening.
3. Start small. Instead of developing a set of polices that includes all aspects of Social Media, drip feed the policy into the workplace. This helps staff understand that Social Media policy need to be respected but doesn’t interfere too much with their daily duties. Over time, you can bring more policies on board.

Conclusion

Look for ways to include others in the consultation process. Get stakeholders to champion the policies and highlight the positive aspects of the documents, for example, how they protect staff and give direction.

What else would you add? How do you encourage uptake for Social Media policies? How do you cope with resentment?

No one needs a Social Media policy until it’s too late. The recent case of a US police officer sharing photos of gangland murders raised the question of how government agencies and professional firms can control Social Media.

Survey: 25% have dedicated social media policy

Research byDLAPiper highlights that

• Many employers (65%) encourage the use of social media for work-related activities.
• Three-quarters (76%) of employers have a social media presence, with 86% on Facebook, 78% on LinkedIn and 62% on Twitter.

The report, ‘Knowing your tweet from your trend: keeping pace with social media in the workplace’, addresses the procedures that can be put in to place to mitigate the potential risk of employees engaging in Social Media.

Most firms use Social Media sites for:

• Brand awareness (80%)
• Marketing (60%)
• Recruitment (42%)
• Employee communication (39%)
• Employee engagement (37%) and
• Team working (28%)

However, when it comes to Social Media policies:

• 25% have a standalone, dedicated social media policy while only
• 43% have a social media policy as part of another document, such as an HR policy

Kate Hodgkiss, author of the report, says: “…social media is not just a tool for marketing, but something that needs to be considered by all aspects of a business; from HR, to risk, to the upper echelons of corporate management.

Does this figure surprise you?

Why do you think firms are so reluctant to develop Social Media policies?

Isn’t writing a Social Media Policy like hitting a moving target? By the time you have your policies lined up, the landscape changes. And you need to revise the Social Media Policies again.

The issue seems to be two-fold. Employers are struggling with writing, designing and implementing policies that respect an employee’s right to free speech AND protecting the business. It’s a difficult balancing act.

Do Generic Social Media Policies Work?

Sometimes. Mike Maslanik writes that Social Media, such as Facebook and Twitter, help businesses connect with the community and customers in more direct ways than ever before.

But – and here’s the catch –greater connectivity can be a double-edged sword.

Listen to Alison Grems, CEO of the Canandaigua Area Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s difficult because I don’t think there is a single, cookie-cutter policy for social media,” Grems said. “Each individual business needs to think about what works best for them.”

Some of the potential pitfalls of social media sites include:

• Disclosing internal information
• Posting negative comments about customers
• Sharing information about prospective clients

For example, Finger Lakes Community College spokeswoman Lenore Friend said their policy will include “common sense” guidelines for employees aimed at preserving the college’s good name.

“We certainly don’t want to impede anyone’s academic freedom or right to free speech, but we also want to protect the college’s reputation,” Friend said. “The crux of the policy is to protect the institution from people who purport to speak for the institution.”

Where Social Media Policies work Best

The issue for policy makers is that while Social Media is still in its infancy, the need to develop robust documentation that guides, protects, and supports firms is lacking.

Thankfully, this is changing as more examples of well-written Social Media Policies for the military, banking and educational facilities come online.

For those involved in writing and implementing Social Media Policy documents the most practical solution may be to develop a set of best practices, observe how others develop policy documents, and, of course, to use Social Media to improve the process. That’s what it’s there for.

Should a student accept a friend request from their teacher? Can a teacher send tweets to his students? How about former students? Where do you draw the line between what’s acceptable and what’s out of bounds. This is where Social Media Policy documents provide direction.

Social Media Policy Documents for Educational Institutes

In Odessa, texting between teachers and students is a touchy subject. And to address this, the Ector County School District is creating Social Media Policy documents to define what’s appropriate and what’s not.

For example:

If a teacher wants to text a student, or vice versa, it must be related to school business.

Other changes include changing how electronic media is defined to include social media technologies, text messaging, blogs, chat rooms and social networking sites.

The Texas Association of School Boards made the recommendations.

Conclusion

For most schools, the use of Social Media sites such as Facebook has been a positive experience. However, there are always rogue elements or those who will abuse guidelines for the sake of it.

To address this, and protect themselves from legal repercussions, schools need to define Social Media Policy guidelines that give best practices to teachers and show where and how to use these sites to optimum effect.

Most teachers and students want to do the right thing. Providing them with a set of guidelines is one way to create a framework upon which they can build a positive Social Media experience.

Jeanette Borzo in The Wall Street Journal highlights the issues facing companies struggling to develop and execute Social Media Policy documents. While policy development seems straightforward, getting the message across to all employees can be ‘challenging’.

Using Social Media Policies to Reduce Legal Issues

She reminds us that Facebook gaffes in the workplace aren’t unique to drunken college students anymore. As more companies and their workers embrace Social Media channels, Twitter and Facebook, employers are ‘tripping over legal potholes’.

For example:

• The National Labor Relations Board is to consider whether a medical-transportation company illegally fired a worker after she criticized her boss on Facebook. The agency’s first complaint linked to social media.
• Employees sued a restaurant company when they were dismissed after managers accessed a private MySpace page the employees had set up.

While most employees are warned about behavior on Facebook, companies are facing their own challenges for alleged blunders in dealing with social media.

"The intersection of social media and the office is a potential minefield,” said Philip L. Gordon, the Denver-based chairman of the privacy and data-protection practice group at law firm Littler Mendelson PC. Even when a company prevails in such legal actions, "there are reputational risks."

Where Social Media Policies Intersect with Legal Issues

Social Media networks are used to share personal information of employees and job applicants.

However, it gets complicated when, for example:

• worker file a sexual-harassment suit after a manager repeatedly tries to "friend" her on Facebook.
• Or an applicant accuses a company of reneging on a job offer after learning of their religious affiliation on Twitter.

One of the benefits of Social Media Policy documents is to share "the no-nos" of office life, such as political views, says Shanti Atkins, an attorney who is chief executive of ELT Inc., a San Francisco firm.

Looking for more examples:

Cisco Systems Inc. has been sued twice for comments an anonymous blogger made about two Texas lawyers. Both suits were resolved but the terms of the settlements weren’t revealed.

Do you need a Social Media Policy?

A little common sense would suggest that your best defense against legal action is to establish a social media policy template. Examples of what it might include:

• Twitter Usage Policy – outline how employees can use Twitter to share, interact and communicate professionally.
• Facebook Usage Policy – show staff how to be an Ambassador for your business on Facebook Fan pages.
• LinkedIn Usage Policy – series of guidelines for using this professional network
  site and using LinkedIn groups
• Company Blogging Policy – guidelines for employees writing on corporate blogs; how to respond to comments, queries, feedback, and press enquiries.
• Personal Blogging Policy – use this to help employees understand their obligations when using personal blogs.
• Social Media Risk Management Policy – guidelines to reduce risk for employees and managers using Social Media sites.
• Brand Usage Policy – use this to ensure that your brand is used consistently across all social media network sites.
• Code Of Conduct - extensive list of Do’s and Don’ts when using social media network
  sites.

Outline what is and isn’t appropriate in social media, and then to train employees about the policy.

As fewer than half of US companies have a social media policy in place, the amount of legal action resulting from employer missteps is likely to rise at least until more case law is established.

Jeffrey S. Klein, who heads the employment-litigation practice at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in New York cautions. "For people who are ignoring this and don’t think it’s a prevalent issue in the workplace, they need to stop being naïve."