Do You Have A Social Media Policy In Place?

  • Added:
    Sep 06, 2014
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Do You Have A Social Media Policy In Place? Photo by Savio Vadakkan

Social media has become ubiquitous; it has invaded our homes and offices, so much so that you might come to know more about a person through his social media presence than by meeting him personally. For organizations, the existence of social media has become a double edged sword which can work either ways. Even if an organization chooses not to be a part of social media, it simply is not possible because employees by being a part of the social media world invariably end up bringing the organization into the social media universe. The sheer  number of people posting, sharing, commenting, liking or simply tweeting about anything means that there is a high likelihood of some employee inadvertently, or sometimes, even knowingly posting work related content of an offensive or confidential nature.

The impact on the organizational brand value of an employee’s abuse of social media usage can be potentially devastating which is why a social media policy has become a must for all organizations, big or small. Whether you wish to or not, your employees are already creating a social media profile of your organization by referring to it in their postings or comments.

A social media policy, even if it is a one page document can go a long way in protecting the brand reputation of your organization in the social world. A policy laid out on paper takes the guesswork out of what work related content is acceptable to post on social platforms and what is not. Employees can no longer claim ignorance while posting content which could potentially be damaging to the company and its reputation. A good thumb rule to go by is whatever you would not like to see printed in newspapers about yourself should also be avoided on social platforms.

But social media is not only about restrictions and limiting behavior. A social media policy can also be used to educate employees on ways to proactively engage with others in the social space to create a positive brand image for the company. This is especially relevant in the case of employee referrals where employees can be taught the nuances of reaching out to their connections in the social space in a manner that helps the organization build positive interactions with them from a hiring standpoint. Employee postings can reflect a lot about the company’s culture and by encouraging employees to share photos and videos of events at office and other posts of positive nature, organizations can build an employer brand that can attract many from the social world to look for jobs within the organization.

Author's Profile

Savio Vadakkan is the Marketing Professional at ZALP, a unique social recruiting software. ZALP enables organizations to automate and streamline every aspect of their employee referral program whilst also integrating it with the potential of social media recruiting.


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