Guidelines, Codes of Conduct & Social Media Platforms

The social media platform has become an innovative approach to communication beyond someone’s social groups. Individuals and businesses alike can use social media to connect with their target audience, but it can be difficult to police behaviours and conduct on the platforms.

A tweet could be likened to a megaphone that you are using to broadcast your thoughts, which is why appropriate measures must be taken in case those thoughts are not conducive to business or customer relationships.

There is no real distinction between personal and professional thoughts on social media, as as an employee, you are often held up and accountable as a representative of the brand. Similarly, using the case of Twitter again, the public scape that the tweet exists in can be accessed by anyone, with privacy challenging to guarantee. If your employees have access to your business’s social media accounts, the way they conduct themselves can reflect on public perception of the brand.

A simple way to approach when it is and isn’t appropriate for content to be sent out when it’s you personally speaking could be, “would my manager, client or customers be happy to see the content published?” If no, then bestie, you need to sit the hell back down off your platform.

Here are some guidelines to ensure that your business isn’t left in the lurch when it comes to how your employees conduct themselves on social media

• • Have a crisis management plan in place (including an escalation patch) before the commencement of the account. This gives you a planned out approach for worst-case scenarios.

• Be transparent about who you work for, who you represent or who you may be speaking on behalf of

• Ensure that all posts are accurate and fact-checked. If a post needs to be edited, do not simply delete the content; note the edit in the original post so that you have evidence that you noticed the mistake, as the original post probably exists somewhere else.
• Always act professionally and constructively, use sound judgment before posting, and be polite and respectful of individuals’ opinions.
• Be respectful of everyone you interact with within social media, and consider how you are being perceived as a brand representative. Derogatory comments, discrimination, obscene remarks should not be posted, and statements made in response to others should be considered further concerning how other people may react.