Basil Jarrett | The perils of not having a robust social media policy

IT’S 2023 and social media continues to put careers, reputations and livelihoods at risk. With lawsuits, apologies and resignations flying left, right and centre in the past few weeks, it is a wonder that so many of us continue to operate in the social media space with such carefree candor. Remember Justine Sacco, the senior communications director who tweeted in 2013, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!”, while on a flight from New York City to South Africa? At the time of the tweet, Sacco must have had about 170 Twitter followers. But by the time she touched down in Cape Town, she was the No. 1 worldwide trend on Twitter, and not for the right reason.

Sacco’s acerbic, racist and ignorant tweet had gone viral, prompting her employers to tweet; “This is an outrageous, offensive comment. Employee in question currently unreachable on an intl flight.” The world was witnessing in real time how two idle thumbs could bring about the end of an illustrious career, especially for someone who ought to have known better.

What made the incident even more entertaining was that for the 11 hours of her flight, Sacco was completely unaware of the pickle she was in. By the time she landed, half of South Africa was waiting to greet her. Having been refused a warm welcome in Cape Town, Sacco was immediately returned to the US, where she was promptly dismissed by her employers.

BALANCING THE DELICATE TIGHTROPE

While there hasn’t quite been a story as spectacular as Sacco’s here in Jamaica, there’s no shortage of ill-advised tweets, posts, hashtags and re-tweets that have gotten some of our key and not-so-key public figures in hot water. It’s one of the reasons that I’ve fought the good fight for so long in resisting social media, despite the awesome power that I acknowledge it possesses.

The challenge for many organisations, therefore, becomes how to balance this delicate tightrope between individual employees’ freedom of expression, and preserving the organisation’s corporate reputation and public image. As a communications consultant who’s had to help several entities navigate this divide, I cannot stress how important it is to distinguish personal social media conduct from company voice. It is a strategic imperative that safeguards a company’s reputation and maintains brand consistency, while still managing to respect an individual’s right of expression.

This is where having a robust social media policy in place becomes critical. This document is more than nice to have. Rather, it must be seen as a strategic tool that lays the foundation for responsible and effective social media usage within the organisation.

PRESERVING BRAND IDENTITY AND CONSISTENCY

When employees freely mix their personal opinions with the company’s voice on social media, it can result in confusion and dilution of the brand’s intended message. It’s not hard to imagine a scenario where an employee posts a controversial political view under the company’s official Twitter handle or on its Facebook page. Even in my own work, I am always very cognisant that any misalignment between my own views and the organisations that I represent could easily alienate a portion of the entity’s customer base, leading to negative sentiment and potential loss of business. That’s one of the reasons I never post anything on social media after the third beer. By clearly delineating what is acceptable on official channels and what remains personal, companies can maintain a unified and recognisable brand identity.

THE PERILS OF NOT HAVING A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

The absence of a well-defined social media policy can expose your organisation to a range of risks that might not be immediately apparent. Obviously, there’s the risk of reputational damage, given that bad news travels today as fast as your fingers can type. Without a clear policy in place, employees might also inadvertently share sensitive information, post inappropriate content, or engage in heated discussions, all of which can reflect negatively on the company’s image. There’s also the risk of data breaches and security concerns arising out of inadvertently sharing confidential company information on social media. Employees might unknowingly disclose sensitive data or fall victim to phishing attacks, putting both the company’s and customers’ data at risk. We’ve seen this happen on more than a few occasions, most recently in the banking sector. Then there are the legal and regulatory compliance hurdles to cross as different industries are governed by specific laws and regulations regarding communication, advertising, and privacy. There’s the question, too, of employee productivity as without a clear social media policy in place, employees might engage in excessive personal use of social media during work hours, impacting their productivity and the overall efficiency of the company.

AN EFFECTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

So what does an effective social media policy look like? To begin, it involves a well-defined set of guiding principles and objectives, clearly outlining the purpose of the document. Your social media strategy must be in alignment with the organisation’s mission, values, and goals. It must also outline who is responsible for creating, posting, and managing the organisation’s social media content and set guidelines for both official company accounts and the personal accounts of employees.

Those guidelines must specify the types of content that are appropriate and relevant to the organisation’s brand and core values, and clearly define what constitutes inappropriate content. This would include offensive language, discriminatory remarks, and sensitive company information, but could go even further to include all forms of political expression. The policy should also emphasise the importance of safeguarding company and customer data and provide clear guidelines on how to share sensitive information, both internally and externally.

Social media blunders have the potential to snowball into all-out crises and so, having a crisis communications plan is also a critical component of the social media policy. This should establish protocols for handling negative comments, social media crises, and emergencies and clearly define who should be contacted and how issues should be resolved.

But having the best social media policy in the world is of little use if no one knows about it and so training and education must also be included. This training must be ongoing as best practices, emerging trends, and potential risks associated with social media usage change almost daily. As with all things, nothing is perfect and there will be violations. The social media policy must therefore also outline the consequences of policy violations, clearly communicating the repercussions and associated punishments.

In today’s digital landscape, a robust social media policy is not just a document; it’s a shield that protects your company’s reputation, data, and legal standing. By proactively addressing potential pitfalls and providing employees with clear guidelines, you empower them to be responsible and effective brand ambassadors. Don’t leave your brand’s future to chance. If you don’t already have one, you should look to invest in a comprehensive social media policy right away.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Threads @IamBasilJarrett. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com