How to Create Your Mission and Vision Statement

Social media gives you, your team and your brand a voice online. It’s meant to be a powerful tool for building your brand, connecting with customers, and sharing all of your business updates in real time. But without a clear structure, it can also put your reputation, your legal standing, and your customer relationships at risk.

That’s where a social media policy becomes useful and relevant. A good policy protects your business, gives clear direction to your team, and helps everyone understand what your / their expectations and boundaries are.

If you’re thinking it’s time you created your own social media policy, then this blog is a good starting point. Remember, you may want to make it legally binding, so consult a specialist in this instance. In this blog, I will attempt to walk you through building your own social media policy, step by step, and offer some practical advice on how often to update it so it stays relevant and useful.

What is a Social Media Policy and Why You Need One

A social media policy is a document that explains how your employees and representatives should behave online in relation to your business. This covers both company accounts and, in some cases, personal accounts where employees are identifiable as part of your organisation.

It helps all involved understand your clear policy, as below:

• Protects your brand reputation by setting expectations for professional conduct online.
• Reduces legal risks by outlining what is and isn’t acceptable, especially around data and sensitive topics.
• Gives employees confidence to post when appropriate and avoid situations that could cause trouble.
• Helps maintain productivity if it includes guidelines about personal use during work time.

Step 1: Define the Purpose and Scope

Start by explaining why this social media policy exists and who it applies to.

Here’s a simple way to frame it:

• “Our social media policy exists to protect our brand, our people, and our stakeholders. It sets clear expectations for how we represent ourselves online, whether on official business accounts or personal profiles when linked to our organisation.”

Then spell out who the policy applies to. This could include:

• Full-time and part-time employees
• Contractors and freelancers
• Anyone authorised to post on behalf of the company

Be specific about which platforms are covered. Don't just say “social media” without naming examples like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), YouTube, and any niche platforms relevant to your industry.

Step 2: Clarify Roles and Responsibilities

Make it clear who is responsible for what. That way, everyone knows both their freedoms and limits.

You might include:

• Official account managers. People are responsible for posting, responding to comments, and reporting metrics.
• Employees with brand association. Staff who may refer to the company on their personal profiles.
• Legal or compliance teams. Contacts for questions about privacy, intellectual property, or regulation.

This section is about accountability. When the "who" is clear, your team is less likely to go off track. They may well misunderstand who is responsible for what without this clarification.

Step 3: Set Behaviour Guidelines

This is the heart of your policy, frankly – this is the whole point of the policy. Be precise about what’s expected and what's off-limits.

Here are some areas to cover:

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Professional Conduct

Ask employees to:

• Be respectful and mindful of tone and language. (Not just brand tone of voice)
• Avoid engaging in heated debates that could escalate.
• Think twice before posting anything that could reflect poorly on the business.

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Confidentiality and Data

Remind your team not to share:

• Any confidential business information
• Customer or partner data
• Internal strategies or future projects

If you’re not sure what this covers, then check out the examples below. These are here to help people understand the boundaries.

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Legal Issues

Your policy should make it clear that:

• Discriminatory, harassing, or defamatory comments are unacceptable.
• Sharing copyrighted material without permission is not allowed.
• Employees should avoid posting content that could violate local laws.

It’s worth having a legal expert review this part to ensure you're compliant with relevant legislation, as I said previously.

Personal Accounts Linked to Your Brand

If employees list your company on their personal social profiles, they should:

• Understand that their posts may be associated with your brand
• Avoid sharing opinions that could be mistaken for your business's official stance.
• Include a disclaimer like “Opinions are my own” when appropriate

This particular section gives your team clear guidancewithout policing their personal lives. Well, that’s the aim anyway!

Step 4: Provide Examples of Acceptable and Unacceptable Use

Helping people understand what you’re looking for is also an ideal thing to do. Check out these examples:

Acceptable

• Sharing company news on a LinkedIn profile
• Responding professionally to a customer query
• Reposting official company posts on personal profiles

Unacceptable

• Posting internal financial forecasts
• Sharing derogatory comments about clients or competitors
• Using your company email as a login for unrelated services

Step 5: Outline Security and Access Protocols

You mustn’t assume that your staff are always being responsible online. It’s up to you to make sure your team knows how to protect login information and avoid security mishaps.

Perhaps add guidance such as:

• Use strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication
• Never share login details via email or messaging apps
• Report suspicious activity immediately

This doesn’t have to be long, but it should make security a priority. Cyber breaches often start with simple lapses.

Step 6: Spell Out Consequences

You don’t need to terrify people of course, but it is worth noting what happens if these instructions aren’t followed and they resist compliance; you need to outline clear consequences for breaches.

Lay out the levels of breaches and what happens for each instance:

• Minor breaches might lead to a warning
• Serious or repeated violations could lead to disciplinary action

Again, it doesn’t have to be lengthy or dwelled upon, but knowledge is power. Clarity here protects you and lets employees understand the stakes.

Step 7: Communication and Training

Now it’s up to you that you create a policy for new staff orany CPD or updates that you need to provide on an annual basis. A policy is only useful if people read and understand it.

You may want to create and:

• Share it in your onboarding process
• Host a short training session or workshop
• Make it easily accessible in your internal systems

Repetition helps reminders stick and normalises the behavior you’re looking for.

Step 8: Review and Update Regularly

Social media trends, platforms, and risks don’t stand still. A policy written once and forgotten quickly becomes outdated.

Here’s a simple rhythm to follow:

• Quarterly reviews. Look at how platforms and behaviours have changed.
• Annual full review. Do a deep dive and ask if this policy still matches your organisation’s goals.
• Event-driven updates. When a new platform becomes popular or a legal change affects online behaviour, update the policy right away.

Regular updates mean your policy stays practical instead of being a dusty document no one remembers.

Keeping it Up-to-date and Compliant

A good social media policy does more than tick a compliance box. It protects your reputation, clarifies expectations, and gives your team the confidence to represent your brand. It should feel relevant and useful, not like a rulebook tucked away somewhere.

If you’re launching a policy for the first time, expect questions and feedback. That’s healthy. Use that input to refine and improve the document over time. And don’t be afraid to revisit once a quarter to see what needs changing.

Social media is where your audience meets your brand every day. With a strong policy in place, you give your business a solid foundation for safe, effective engagement. Take the time to craft something clear and thoughtful. Make sure it’s living, breathing, and reviewed often. Your team will appreciate the clarity, and your brand will be stronger for it.