Why You Need a Social Media Policy for Influencer Marketing

When so much of your brand’s content is on social media, it’s important to have a cohesive, targeted approach to what you say on your accounts. That’s why so many companies choose to implement a social media policy—an outline of how employees should represent the brand on social media. These policies aren’t just for people on your payroll, it’s crucial for the influencers you partner with too.

It Creates a Guide for Your Brand’s Voice  

The messaging you put out to represent your brand affects the thoughts and opinions people have about your brand. Keeping this voice cohesive and structured is so important to establishing a relationship with consumers. The more channels your brand uses to communicate with your audience, the more segmented your brand voice can become if you aren’t careful.

This segmentation becomes even more likely when social media influencers join your team. Influencers may already have their own voice or style — and they need to know how to align theirs with yours. Having a social media policy in place will guide them to use the right verbiage and tone in their messages.

For example, if your brand’s message focuses on how your products become part of customers’ everyday lives, encourage influencers to include relatable anecdotes about how they use the products in their routine.

The key here is not to expect influencers to change themselves for you, or micro-manage their content. You’re working with them to get their fresh perspective and unique take on your products. Work with influencers who already fit with your brand’s message. With the right influencers by your side, your social media policy will be more like a set of guidelines — not a strict rulebook.

It Protects You Legally

Social media is notoriously complicated when it comes to things like copyright laws. A policy will teach employees how to avoid infringing on the properties of others while protecting your own material.

When it comes to influencers, policy is crucial. Making sure that everything is squared away in the legal department should be prioritized before anything else. Influencers are required by the FTC to disclose that they are being compensated for their promotion. There’s a right and a wrong way to disclose sponsorship, and a social media policy will help your influencers understand all these requirements and how to comply with them.

You should also include an agreement that states your brand has legal rights to use the influencers’ content at your discretion. 

If your brand ever deals with any sensitive information (like new releases or product changes) then a policy could also help protect that information from getting out before it’s due.

It Outlines Roles

One of the worst things for productivity is poorly defined roles in the workplace. If no one knows what their job is, it’s impossible to get any work done. Social media policies outline responsibilities for each role. This way no one is left guessing what or when they should be posting.

You can use a social media policy to outline your expectations for an influencer. Outline things like:

• The kind of messaging you’d like to see
• How often they should post
• The goals of the partnership
• How the influencer’s content will be used

Knowing what your expectations are will help influencers make better posts for your brand.

With a policy in place, achieving your brand’s goals through influencer marketing will be a much smoother process. If you are interested in working with influencers for your next social media campaign, contact Statusphere to get the right influencers posting about your brand.

Disclaimer: We're influencer marketing specialists, not lawyers! This content is not legal advice and you should definitely consult a legal professional based on your needs and questions. We do not make any guarantees as to accuracy or completeness of this information and take no liability or legal obligations for your use of this information.