Social Media Policy Must-Haves Part 1: Brainstorming

Social media is a powerful marketing tool. With a social media presence, you can engage stakeholders, connect with your community, gain a broader audience, draw attention to your mission, promote events and programs, and fundraise.

The key to social media success is to use it thoughtfully and effectively. That’s where a social media policy comes in handy. Developing a policy can help your organization plan for and manage risks associated with social media use.

Prior to drafting a social media policy, consider forming a social media committee with individuals from different areas in the organization. The social media committee will be responsible for identifying what aspects are most important to include in the organization’s social media policy.

Considerations may include:

• What are your organizational goals for using social media?
• What social media platforms does your organization already use?
• How will the organization determine whether to add new social media platforms or discontinue using old ones?
• Who is your audience?
• How does the organization currently use social media? Are there any foreseeable changes in social media use?
• What past experiences (successes or failures) should be taken into account?
• What unique aspects of your organization will need to be taken into account when drafting your policy?
• Who in the organization will have access to social media passwords and log-in information?
• Who will be tasked with monitoring and updating social media accounts?
• How will content be checked for accuracy and suitability prior to posting?
• What is your plan for responding in the case of a breach?
• How will you respond to comments?

Once you’ve figured out what you want to include, you can start drafting your policy.

This content was developed by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center and adapted by and for GuideOne Insurance.