Each group wants a social media coverage. It’s a important doc that units boundaries and expectations for everybody related along with your model.
Your model might or might not have a serious company social presence. However your workers and associates are completely utilizing these platforms. They usually could also be utilizing them to speak about you.
A transparent coverage protects each the model and its workers from reputational, compliance, and safety dangers. Hold studying to be taught extra and obtain our free, customizable social media coverage template so you can begin constructing or updating yours immediately.
Key takeaways
- Each model wants a social media coverage. It’s your playbook for staying constant, on-brand, and out of bother.
- Suppose past guidelines. A very good coverage additionally outlines roles, possession, and safety so everybody is aware of who’s doing what (and the right way to do it safely).
- Shield your model and your individuals. Clear tips assist keep away from authorized, compliance, and reputational messes earlier than they occur.
- Prepare and replace typically. Social media adjustments quick, so preserve your coverage contemporary and ensure your crew really understands it.
- Plan for the “what ifs”. Embrace disaster protocols, escalation paths, and even AI tips so that you’re prepared for something.
In enterprise organizations — particularly these in regulated industries — a social media coverage is greater than a algorithm for posting on-line. It’s a governance doc that defines roles, mitigates authorized and compliance threat, and protects model popularity throughout a number of markets.
A social media coverage is an official firm doc that gives tips and necessities on your group’s social media use.
Your social media coverage covers your model’s official channels and the way workers use social media platforms — personally and professionally.
An official firm social media coverage helps to keep your model voice and mitigate social media dangers.
For advertising leaders, a social media coverage isn’t nearly avoiding errors — it’s a framework for scaling your model presence responsibly.
In massive or regulated organizations, a transparent coverage protects in opposition to authorized publicity, reduces reputational threat, and empowers groups to interact confidently inside outlined guardrails. The stronger the coverage, the much less time management spends firefighting, and the extra time they’ll spend driving development.
Listed below are among the most essential causes to implement a social media coverage.
Guarantee regulatory compliance
That is particularly essential for manufacturers and organizations within the regulated industries. However all manufacturers have regulatory compliance obligations, particularly for advertising claims and disclosures.
A well-crafted and enforced social coverage retains you consistent with the foundations and laws.
For instance, The Candida Weight loss plan’s social media coverage consists of well being declare tips. These apply even to workers’ private accounts. The corporate added them after an worker’s submit created regulatory issues.
“One of many crew members posted a really private and passionate piece about our probiotics that unintentionally landed us in non-FDA-compliant territory,” says Lisa Richards, CEO of The Candida Weight loss plan. “This taught us to incorporate a non-negotiable disclaimer, like ‘Private opinion, not medical recommendation,’ on all worker wellness-related posts.”
Handle model threat
A stable social media coverage helps shield your accounts in opposition to dangers. Particularly when it consists of particulars on correct safety protocols. It may possibly assist forestall:
- safety breaches
- reputational harm
- compliance violations and authorized points
A social coverage additionally makes positive you’ve gotten an emergency response plan in place.
For instance, the cybersecurity agency Action1 has directions in its social media to be on the alert for phishing schemes. “Particularly on LinkedIn, the place attackers may fake to be recruiters,” says VP of Product Technique Peter Barnett.
Scammers are at all times “hiring” however don’t really need to make use of you. As a substitute, they need your cash, private info, or each. Right here’s the right way to spot and keep away from a job rip-off: https://t.co/1ofkusjSJA
— FTC (@FTC) July 8, 2025
Encourage your workers to amplify your model’s message in a brand-safe method
While you’ve received huge product information or a message to share, it’s nice to have your entire crew on board. However that may be a fragile dance.
“With extra workers performing as thought leaders and even influencers for his or her manufacturers on LinkedIn, insurance policies want to assist workers navigate their on-line presence when representing the corporate they work for or are selling,” says Trish Riswick, Hootsuite’s Social Advertising and marketing Staff Lead.
Each efficient coverage covers sure must-have elements, from defining possession to setting clear conduct tips. In the event you’re constructing yours from scratch, you possibly can observe alongside utilizing our free social media coverage template — it’s structured to incorporate all of those elements.
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Get a free, customizable social media coverage template to shortly and simply create tips on your firm and workers.
Roles and obligations
Outline your crew’s roles and obligations on your social accounts. Who covers which obligations on a each day, weekly or as-needed foundation? It may be useful to incorporate names and phone data for key roles. That method, workers from different groups know who to contact.
Duties to cowl may embody:
This part ought to set up who can converse on your model on social media — and who can’t.
A complete social media suite like Hootsuite may be very helpful for solidifying your social media workflow. Your social instruments can do every part routinely, so that you don’t want a prolonged workflow part in your coverage.
In Hootsuite, you possibly can:
- collaborate on drafts,
- set posting permissions for particular person crew members,
- and arrange simple approvals so the proper individuals have closing say.
This ensures you at all times submit authorised content material. It additionally retains the standard of your conversations with followers on model.
Account possession construction
Staff have gotten extra seen on model social channels. So it’s essential to make clear who owns accounts and content material.
Worker contracts already make clear possession of content material they create. However what in regards to the social accounts and social teams themselves?
“When the highest gross sales supervisor stop at one among our SaaS shoppers, he tried to take a LinkedIn group with him,” says Steve Morris, Founder & CEO, NEWMEDIA.COM.
“It is a group that was bringing in dozens of stable leads each week. As a result of our consumer had a coverage with exact possession particulars, logs, and a guidelines for handing over account entry, that they had all of the proof they wanted. That paperwork stopped what might have been a monetary catastrophe.”
Do you’ve gotten workers managing social communities like Fb or LinkedIn Teams? Your coverage ought to clearly element who owns the teams and specify how workers will switch them when roles change.
Safety protocols
As talked about above, there are a variety of social media safety dangers on the market. On this part of your coverage, you present steering on figuring out and coping with them.
Matters to cowl may embody:
- Guidelines associated to non-public use of social media on enterprise gear.
- Social media actions to keep away from. This consists of quizzes that ask for private or delicate info.
- Tips on the right way to create an efficient password and the way typically to alter passwords.
- Expectations for retaining software program and gadgets up to date.
- Methods to establish and keep away from scams, assaults, and different safety threats.
- Who to inform and the right way to reply if a social media safety concern arises.
Some companies might have to suppose extra broadly about safety dangers and protocols. As an illustration, take the property administration firm FLATS.
They prohibit “sharing any content material that reveals unit availability, occupancy charges, or resident demographics,” in accordance with Advertising and marketing Supervisor Gunnar Blakeway-Walen.
Why? “Social media posts can inadvertently sign to unhealthy actors which buildings have larger emptiness charges or susceptible populations.”
Likewise, say your whole crew is out-of-office for a team-building or charity day. You won’t need to submit about your absence till after everyone seems to be again at their desks. (PSA: I as soon as had a laptop computer stolen from my office desk since my workplace was closest to the entrance door.)
Acceptable use and code of conduct
Staff enthusiastic about their work may be a few of your greatest advocates on social media. However unconstrained enthusiasm can generally trigger challenges. Guardrails round acceptable social media use shield each you and them.
For instance, you don’t desire a eager worker posting a few new function earlier than launch.
In fact, you possibly can’t get too draconian about how workers use private social media accounts.
In america, firm insurance policies should additionally respect worker rights beneath the Nationwide Labor Relations Act (NLRA). To keep away from infringing on legally protected exercise — akin to discussing office circumstances — many organizations embody a “financial savings clause” stating that the coverage shouldn’t be meant to limit rights assured by the NLRA.
The Nationwide Labor Relations Board, for instance, lately slammed Apple for limiting workers’ use of social media to push for higher working circumstances.
Listed below are some frequent coverage parts associated to workers’ social media accounts:
- Tips for content material displaying the office
- Tips about content material displaying the uniform
- Whether or not to say the corporate in profile bios
- Whether or not it’s acceptable to attach with shoppers, prospects, or different enterprise associates
- Any required disclaimers about content material representing private views relatively than company opinions
- Requirement to establish themselves as an worker when discussing the corporate or rivals
For instance, Dell Applied sciences’ social media coverage for workers states the next.:
“While you speak about Dell Applied sciences on social media, you need to disclose that you just work for Dell Applied sciences. Your mates might know the place you’re employed, however their community of pals and colleagues might not, and also you don’t need to unintentionally mislead somebody. You need to use the #Iwork4Dell hashtag in any submit that discusses Dell Applied sciences.”
Your coverage ought to encourage workers to share on social media in a brand-safe method. Ensure that to checklist any particular assets that may assist.
For instance, do you’ve gotten an authorised content material library, and the way can workers entry it?
Hootsuite Amplify is an worker advocacy instrument that lets you create a library of pre-approved model content material. Staff can customise the posts and share them with a few clicks.
Range, fairness, and accessibility tips
Your social media coverage also needs to mirror your group’s dedication to range, fairness, and inclusion. Embrace steering on utilizing inclusive language, avoiding stereotypes, and making certain visible content material meets accessibility requirements (e.g., alt textual content for pictures, captions for movies).
This helps shield your model popularity, widens your viewers attain, and aligns your on-line presence with organizational values.
For instance, the UK Authorities Communication Service (GCS) advises communicators to construct accessibility into each stage of social media planning — together with offering alt textual content, captions, and shade distinction checks — and to think about the wants of audiences with various cognitive, visible, listening to, or motor wants.
Escalation paths and a “pause rule”
Staff have to know what to do (and what to not do) when there are tough issues taking place along with your model. Or once they encounter damaging content material about your model on social channels.
“Quite a lot of insurance policies miss explaining what workers shouldn’t submit (even on private accounts) throughout high-stakes conditions like product remembers, layoffs, or PR crises,” Riswick says. “It is a welcome boost that protects the worker and the model.”
There are two elements right here:
- Pause rule. “If there’s an ongoing inside delicate situation, keep away from commenting about it, even when it’s ‘only a private opinion,’” Riswick says. Relying on how critical the problem is, it’s possible you’ll want to pause all scheduled model social content material as nicely. (Tip: Hootsuite lets you pause all scheduled content material with simply two clicks.)
- Escalation path. “If an worker sees one thing regarding in regards to the model on-line, they need to flag it to the social or comms crew — not interact instantly,” Riswick says. Ensure that everybody is obvious about who they should notify. It may be useful to hyperlink to your disaster communication plan. That method, nobody has to go looking for documentation at a hectic time.
Overview of related authorized or compliance necessities
Particulars will differ from nation to nation, and even state to state. The necessities are rather more onerous for organizations within the regulated industries. Make sure to seek the advice of your authorized counsel for this part.
At a minimal, your coverage may contact on the next:
- Methods to adjust to copyright regulation and respect mental property on social media — particularly for third-party content material.
- Methods to deal with buyer info and different personal information.
- Restrictions or disclaimers required for testimonials, influencer content material, or advertising claims.
- Confidentiality relating to your group’s inside info.
“Many insurance policies pass over disclaimers, however all insurance policies ought to specify that private opinions be clearly recognized,” says Martin Gasparian, Legal professional and Proprietor, Maison Legislation.
“Staff who submit on their private accounts about firm services or products also needs to disclose their relationship with the corporate,” Gasparian continues. “There are laws governing endorsement; failure on their half to be totally clear can result in fines and reputational harm. Usually, this shall be labeled as misleading advertising ways, whatever the intent.”
Need to put some automated guardrails in place? Proofpoint compliance software program integrates with Hootsuite.
It checks all of your social posts for compliance points earlier than you publish. You may customise the controls based mostly on business laws, model model, or your social media coverage.
AI tips
AI now touches nearly each a part of social media operations — from content material creation to moderation — which suggests it’s additionally a rising supply of brand name threat.
For management, the coverage’s position is to outline not solely which AI instruments are authorised, but additionally how outputs are reviewed, attributed, and disclosed. In regulated industries, this may be the distinction between aggressive benefit and compliance violation.
The overwhelming majority of social entrepreneurs are actually utilizing AI to create, edit, and refine textual content. Greater than 40% are utilizing AI instruments to generate, edit, and refine pictures. Entrepreneurs in closely regulated industries are utilizing AI instruments much more.
Supply: Hootsuite Social Developments Report 2025
Meaning your social coverage must sort out how, when, and why your groups can (and will) use AI.
“Insurance policies now want readability round AI disclosure and high quality management,” Riswick says. “For instance, is it okay for an worker to make an AI-generated image or video that options model parts or comparable model options? Is that aligned to the model identification? Might that be a model threat?”
It’s additionally essential to make clear how workers can use your organization’s model supplies to coach AI. Tip: Hootsuite’s OwlyGPT will get to know your model voice from your individual social channels. You by no means have to add any model assets into third-party instruments for coaching.
Embrace tips on which AI instruments are authorised to be used, and what duties they can be utilized for. We’ve received an entire information to AI compliance that may enable you determine this out.
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Methods to write a coverage your crew will really use
In the event you’re ranging from scratch or updating an outdated doc, our free social media coverage template may also help you set up these steps and guarantee nothing will get missed.
Work cross-functionally
Bear in mind: The social media coverage applies to each worker—not simply the social crew. You want experience from different departments and stakeholders to get all the small print proper to guard your group.
Make sure to seek the advice of
- the human assets crew
- any public spokespeople
- your authorized crew
- your product’s energy customers
- the advertising crew
- the social crew
It’s additionally smart to get common workers concerned within the dialogue. In any case, this coverage impacts all of them.
This doesn’t imply you want suggestions from each single worker. However do get enter from:
- crew leads,
- union reps,
- or others who can signify teams of workers
Ask them to let about any concepts, questions, or issues.
As you draft your coverage, don’t get caught up in tutorials or particulars. The nitty-gritty will inevitably change, and quick. Concentrate on the large image.
Customise for areas and enterprise models
The general ideas of your social media coverage apply to all workers. However bigger firms might need to create subsections that apply to particular enterprise models, or adapt the steering based mostly by area.
For instance, the social media tips on your social crew might focus extra on model model and voice. The coverage on your product improvement crew may comprise an extended part on non-disclosure and commerce secrets and techniques.
Prepare your groups
Whether or not it’s a revision or a model new doc, be certain everyone seems to be conscious there’s info they should know.
In the event you’re launching a brand new replace, embody an inventory of key adjustments and a revision date.
We extremely advocate including your coverage to your worker handbook. Encourage new hires to work via it throughout onboarding.
Don’t simply inform workers to learn the coverage. Ensure that they perceive why it’s essential. Particularly workers like guides, private trainers, and different public-facing workers. They’re more than likely to have prospects observe them on social channels.
“I’ve discovered firsthand that simply offering the written doc could make individuals prickly,” says Kevin Hwang, Managing Director, Final Kilimanjaro. “It looks like we’re encroaching on their private house. Sharing the explanations in a pleasant, nuanced method one-on-one has helped my individuals to grasp the whys. Hold it clear and concise, comprehensible about the way it hyperlinks to their work, and why it issues.”
Audit and replace regularly
Social media adjustments quick. Social networks and functionalities change, new social media websites emerge, and others fall. This implies your social media coverage wants common assessment to verify it’s maintaining.
Decide to an annual, biannual, and even quarterly assessment. This ensures your coverage stays helpful and related.
Professional tip for advertising leaders: Your social media coverage ought to be a residing doc. Schedule a quarterly assessment with authorized, HR, and advertising management to seize platform adjustments, regulatory updates, and rising model dangers (like AI misuse or deepfake threats). This retains the coverage aligned with each your compliance necessities and your model technique.
Ensure that it’s enforced
Making a social media coverage is nice. But when nobody’s implementing it, why hassle?
Tip: A very good social listening program may also help you see posts that go in opposition to your coverage earlier than they trigger issues.
You should use Hootsuite Listening, which is constructed into all Hootsuite plans. It may possibly monitor for social content material that mentions your model, together with any key phrases that will point out a coverage violation. You may even arrange alerts to get a notification when there’s a submit it’s essential to have a look at.
Right here’s how this will work in observe, and why it’s essential:
“A comparatively new crew member posted a LinkedIn replace to rejoice an enormous govt placement,” says Jon Hill, Chairman & CEO of The Energists. “No names have been talked about. However the timing and placement might have been sufficient for some individuals to guess the corporate.”
“Our inside social monitoring caught it shortly, and we had it taken down inside the hour,” Hill stated. “If that submit had stayed up longer, it might have broken a longstanding relationship and even risked authorized penalties, since our work was beneath an NDA. As a substitute, the consumer appreciated how shortly we addressed the problem and the connection was salvaged.”
Generally there’s nothing like a real-world instance to get issues going. Organizations within the regulated industries have essentially the most at stake, so we’ve centered on them in choosing insurance policies to mannequin.
These examples don’t simply present what a coverage seems to be like — they show how completely different organizations translate the weather we’ve mentioned into sensible, enforceable tips.
As you assessment them, notice how the important thing takeaways align with your individual model’s targets and compliance wants.
1. Canadian Bar Affiliation
It’s no shock that the social media coverage for an affiliation of legal professionals and different authorized professionals is detailed and complete. It’s clear in its guidelines and necessities, and the way they apply to related regulation. Nonetheless, the rules are simple to grasp.
Key takeaway: “Distinguish private opinions from official CBA positions and use disclaimers when acceptable.”
2. Tufts College
This U.S. college has a radical social media coverage. There are clear tips that apply to all workers. There’s additionally a extra particular part for workers posting on official college channels.
Key takeaway: “If, out of your social media submit, it’s clear you’re a college worker, or in the event you point out the college, or it’s fairly clear you might be referring to the college or a place taken by the college, and in addition categorical a political opinion or an opinion relating to the college’s positions or actions, you could particularly notice that the opinion expressed is your private opinion and never the college’s place.”
3. The Worldwide Heart for Wellness
Manufacturers within the healthcare and wellness industries have a sophisticated set of laws to navigate on social media. This coverage narrows in on the compliance necessities round confidentiality. It additionally specifies the boundaries on social media relationships with shoppers and sufferers.
Key takeaway: “You’re sure by HIPAA and Heart confidentiality insurance policies even in your private social media. By no means disclose PHI or any confidential consumer info. This consists of avoiding posts that would inadvertently establish a consumer (e.g., “Simply had a tricky session with a consumer coping with X…”).
You now have the important thing parts, greatest practices, and real-world examples to create a social media coverage that protects your model and empowers your crew. The quickest method to put this into motion is to begin with our free social media coverage template.
It’s designed for enterprise organizations and controlled industries, with a construction that’s simple to adapt to your particular wants. Use it to seize the roles, obligations, and tips coated on this information — and guarantee nothing will get missed. Obtain the template right here and make it your individual at this time.
Simply handle all of your firm’s social media profiles utilizing Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you possibly can schedule and publish posts, interact your followers, monitor related conversations, measure outcomes, handle your advertisements, and rather more.
