You’re a small to mid-size business. Why do you need a social media policy? The simple answer is because every business needs one, no matter the size or how many employees.

A social media policy can be your first line of defense to mitigate risk for both employer and employee. Imagine if someone upset with you or your business decides to post private information, such as passwords or other damaging information about your firm, online. The results could be disastrous on many levels.

Even if you’re not active on social media, odds are that your employees and clients/customers are. Social media growth has been seen in the workplace, both with regard to employee use as well as functioning as a communication and/or marketing tool for some companies. The social media universe beckons you, your customers and your employees to become more social every day. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, blogs, FourSquare, Google, YouTube, Yelp, Instagram, etc. can either help or hurt you depending upon what is being posted at any given moment.

Have a Separate Policy

You may already have a confidentiality agreement and adding a few lines in the employee handbook to clarify that the confidentiality agreement covers employee interactions on social media sites might seem OK, but it is best from a business, security and legal standpoint to create a separate social media policy.

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Confused or overwhelmed on where to begin? It doesn’t have to be a huge document. Don’t put if off because you are not sure what information to include or how detailed it needs to be. The very act of writing it forces you to think about what you want to achieve and how you’re going to do it.

Elements of a Good Policy

A good social media policy:

• answers internal questions about purpose
• defines ethical and responsible behavior
• spells out how management and oversight will function
• defines commenting and interaction guidelines for staff
• outlines how to deal with public comments

You also need a plan that defines how your social media efforts ties in to your marketing efforts, personal interaction, and online presence. Be sure to include how social media will support your website and other social media sites you may be active on. Construct your policy for easy reference and be sure to include best practices and clarify rules and any punishments for breaking the rules.

Elements to Consider

When developing your social media policy, be sure to include the following:

1. What is social media and what types of platforms are included, i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc.
2. What can they be used for?
3. What may your staff write about? Be sure to include blogging as well as the social media sites.
4. Company password policy.
5. Who provides social media training?
6. Who oversees your social media efforts and who collects analytical data and statistics?
7. How does social media fit into your organizational structure?
8. What legal considerations do you have regarding free speech, record retention, privacy, etc.?
9. What is your balance between transparency and security?
10. What will you do if things go wrong and you face a crisis situation? How will you handle a negative public forum?

Your goal should be to have an engaging and appealing web presence that showcases and represents the best of what you offer.