Secrets to writing a social media policy that actually means something

Last May, The Langham Hotel in Hong Kong unwittingly created a firestorm of controversy on the internet. A series of three videos were produced to present the hotel as a safe haven for culture-shocked travelers. After the videos were released, they received a lot of negative criticism as “racist” and “offensive.” The videos were pulled from YouTube, and the hotel had to issue a formal apology.  But as this hotel learned the hard way, you can never completely erase negative buzz online.

Of course, the solution isn’t to avoid all forms of online interaction. Social media can serve as a powerful channel for your staff to serve guests.

The Internet marketing managers at the Roger Smith Hotel in New York City have developed a web presence that shows what’s possible when social media is done right. Through a dedicated website, blog, Facebook fan page, YouTube channel, Flickr photo stream, and a Twitter account with over 3,000 followers, the hotel is able to build loyalty and attract attention using social media.

And then there’s the vast majority of hotels that have either a nonexistent or a mediocre social media presence. The problem there is that their social media campaign is so boring it doesn’t attract any attention: negative or positive. They’re simply not on the radar.

This is why a social media policy is so important

A good social media policy serves as a roadmap for encouraging your staff to take part in promoting your hotel online…but also serves as a safeguard against tarnishing your brand’s reputation. It recognizes that social media is by definition a personality-powered platform. It encourages your staff to actively participate in spreading the word about your organization online.

It’s not so much a set of rules as it is a written philosophy to clarify your engagement strategy.

The two parts of a good social media policy

In my mind, a social media policy should serve two functions:

1. Explain how to interact with others in social media
2. Provide guidelines on producing content for distribution

First, explain how to interact with others

Be a good listener. Take time to understand other’s point of view and handle criticism well. Accept that people will inevitably post negative comments at some point. Understand how to manage it, rather than avoiding or being defensive.

When replying to others, be honest and straightforward. Be conversational and avoid corporate jargon and rehearsed marketing pitches.

Before posting responses to challenging issues it may be helpful to get a second opinion from another employee. Make sure the response is appropriate before you post it — because once something is posted to the web, it’s usually on there for good. Where appropriate, have a system for including management in this process.

If you do not know enough about a situation, say so. But make it clear you will do your best to promptly investigate and take appropriate action.

Try to stay away from arguments that could damage your brand. At times, it can be best to take a complaint offline and settle things directly with the person who made the comment. You might assign a customer service or public relations specialist to bring a quick resolution.

Second, provide guidelines for producing social media content

Be careful that you do not disclose any private or confidential information.

Never smear your organization’s reputation. Social media requires you be honest, candid, and transparent. But as you do that, it’s important to avoid spreading unnecessary information that can lead to a bad reputation. Some things are better resolved within the organization… and don’t need to be shared with the world.

Consider putting together best practices documents for each of your major social media initiatives. For example…

• Blog — update biweekly, write about behind-the-scenes insight information that guests would find interesting
• Twitter — update three times daily, search queries to proactively reach out.
• Flickr — add new photos weekly, moderate comments and submit to appropriate groups.
• YouTube — add new videos bimonthly, cross post to hotel blog
• Facebook — update weekly, add photos and videos from other sites as appropriate, interact with fans

Use your good judgment in creating content.

Terry Moran, the ABC anchor who leaked Barack Obama’s “off the record” remark about Kanye West being a “jackass” certainly attracted a lot of attention, but may not have used good judgement in sharing that private conversation on Twitter. Apparently that’s what ABC News thought, and they had to issue a formal apology.

Avoid unnecessary rules in your social media policy

Don’t tie your people up in red tape. Unnecessary bureaucracy stifles the kind of creative environment needed for your organization to flourish in social media.

In most cases, less is more. Simple is best.

A few more things to remember

Protect yourself, but be careful of going too far.

Collaborate and involve your staff in writing your social media policy. Getting their input and feedback will help them take ownership and responsibility for it.

Training your staff in general guest service principles carries over to online and social media participation. It’s one of the best investments that you can make — from a management and marketing perspective.

More resources

If you’re in the process of planning your social media strategy, here are some cornerstone articles I’ve written about social media marketing fundamentals:

• Lessons in building your hotel’s internet fanbase
• 5 tips for turning social media traffic into sales
• Beating Negative Hotel Reviews: An Action Plan for Proactive Reputation Management
• Creating a hotel social media management routine

[Photo credit: earcos]