Presentation on how to create a social media policy that embraces the opportunities as well as manages the risks for The Yorkshire Mafia Festival of Business.

1. How to create a social media policy
that embraces the opportunities (as
well as manages the risks!)
Yorkshire Mafia Festival of Business, 25 Sept 2012
Helen Standing, Director, ngage Comms

2. Why do you need a social media policy?
• To block staff from using social networking
sites at work?
• To stop them from saying anything online that
might damage your reputation?
• To ensure they aren’t seen to be doing
anything that isn’t in line with company policy?
• To stop them talking about what they do in and
out of work with the outside world?

3. How on earth do you legislate for this?

4. The bigger picture
• 1st rule of employee engagement – trust and
autonomy
• Making your organisation ‘fit for the future’
• Getting ahead of the game
• There’s a world out there………. see the
Guardian #openjournalism advert on youtube

5. What are the REAL risks?
• Lack of control = breaching confidentiality,
reputation in the hands of others, opening
yourself up to criticism
… But that’s going to happen anyway!
• The real risk is not being part of the
conversation!

6. What are the REAL risks?
Limiting staff use of social media with a ‘rule
book’ will…
• Seriously limit business development, growth
and performance
• Have a negative impact on employee
engagement, morale and talent
attraction/retention
• Make your organisation seem ‘closed’ and
‘faceless and leave you open to criticism

7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ORKA6YIMa
A&feature=plcp

8. How to write/pitch your policy
• Start by understanding where your staff are
currently at with social media personally and
professionally
– “My kids are on Facebook but I don’t get all this
social media stuff”
– “I’m on Facebook and Twitter but worried I might
be saying the wrong thing”
– “I’ve got a LinkedIn profile but don’t do anything
with it”

9. How to write/pitch your policy
• Make sure the policy is pitched at the right level –
not full of jargon that people don’t understand
• Make guidelines flexible but with detailed step-by-
step guide to reassure people they are doing the
right thing
• Be clear about boundaries (in line with your
existing employee code of conduct) but make sure
people feel empowered and encourage about the
business opportunities
• Use ambassadors and real life case
studies/examples to bring it to life

10. Keep it simple!!!
• Mostly about common sense
• Deloitte Australia’s three word social media
policy – Empower And Trust
“Remember not only to say
the right thing in the right
place, but far more difficult to
leave unsaid the wrong thing
at the tempting moment”

11. The policy/guide is written, what now?
• Don’t just dump it on the intranet!
• Find an engaging way of sharing it
• Make sure line managers are bought in and it
can be integrated into people’s roles eg
through their personal objectives
• Put mechanisms in place to constantly remind
and support people with how it all works
• Give ‘at desk’ training tailored to individual
needs

12. Case study: Blacks Solicitors
“isn’t it all just all “Twitter is free and
about people saying people have won
what they’ve had business from it –
for tea?!” ah, now I’m listening!”
“Let’s give it a go with a mixture of legal stuff
and friendly stuff and see if it works”

13. Case study: Blacks Solicitors
The ‘organic’ social media policy
• You can’t legislate for human error – and you have to
trust your people to be professional
• ‘Buddy scheme’ to sense check before putting it out
• Everyone under Blacks brand but with own personalities
Results
• Media opportunities – much quicker and easier
• Greater brand awareness
• New relationships and real business opportunities

14. Let’s carry on the conversation
about social media policies….
@engagecomms on Twitter
The Yorkshire Mafia LinkedIn group
www.engagecomms.co.uk/blog
info@engagecomms.co.uk