What should be covered in a social media policy for a professional services firm?
Social Media can be a powerful tool for professional services but guidelines should be put in place for all staff, including fee-earners. Your Policy should cover the following areas:
· Transparency
Whether posting professionally or personally, there is a legal and moral obligation to be open about who you work for and how that influences your opinion.
· Privacy and confidentiality
Whether members of your organisation are commenting online professionally or personally, there is the potential for confidential client information to leak out. Your clients expect confidentiality and any information shared in the social space online is likely to be repeated and reseeded – online, 'private' social conversations don't exist. Your policy needs to set out the boundaries of what can and can't be discussed openly online.
· Knowledge and expertise
Policy should include guidelines for how much information fee-earners should share online. Part of fee-earners online social presence should include demonstration of value and expertise – in the context of new and existing business – but strict guidelines of boundaries between acceptable free consultation and where this needs to be referred to a meeting or paid consultation need to be in place.
· Professional and personal perception
Whether people have separate personal and professional profiles, or simply have one profile to cover both, care needs to be taken online – they will still be seen as part of your organisation and as such, guidelines need to be in place. Potential solutions could be a disclaimer signature for personal comments which are not the opinion of the company.
· Reasons to interact
Policy should cover when are where staff – including fee earners – should be interacting online. There will be many professional debates in various social networks that you should be party to. Policy should give guidance on how to find these, how best to interact and rules of engagement.
· Responsibility
Each member of staff, whether personally or professionally, are responsible for their conduct online – and how it reflects on their profession and business. Policy should cover this area and determine certain no-go areas for conversation or comment. If the company has a certain standpoint on certain issues staff should be aware of this. Even if they disagree, they can at least state the company's belief when engaging online.
· Mistakes and misunderstandings
Everyone makes mistakes – says the wrong thing or something inappropriate. Policy should cover this. Openness is key – if someone does something wrong, own up to it publicly and apologise. Don't try to bury it or pretend you didn't do it – that would be online suicide.
· Respect for others in online – and offline – space
As with equal opportunities and anti-discrimination policies in the workplace, online engagement should be characterised by respect for others and you social policy should reflect this.
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Midas is a design consultancy driven to help you connect with your audience through effective branding and communications. If you'd like to find out more about the use of social media in professional services marketing or want to know more about our branding and communications experience with professional services firms please get in touch - we'd be happy to talk. To find out more please get in touch by emailing in-touch@midas.uk.com or by calling +44 (0)1494 787200.