Last week I wrote about why social media teams need guides and what goes in them. This week: how to create one that doesn’t just sit unread in a shared drive.
Effective social media guides balance comprehensiveness with usability. Here’s how to get that balance right.
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Before writing anything, understand your current situation.
Review several months of social media activity. What’s working? What’s inconsistent? Where do staff seem uncertain?
Look at past issues and near-misses. What problems have you encountered? What situations made staff uncomfortable or unclear about how to proceed?
Talk to the people who actually manage your accounts. What questions come up repeatedly? Where do they wish they had clearer guidance?
This audit reveals what your guide actually needs to address versus what you assume it should cover.
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You need input from social media staff (they know what guidance they need), leadership (crisis protocols and brand voice need approval), communications team (alignment with broader strategy), and legal or compliance (especially in regulated sectors).
Don’t create by committeeโthat produces bland, overcautious documents. But do gather input from these stakeholders before drafting.
๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ
People don’t read social media guides cover to cover. They search for specific guidance when they need it.
Design for scanning:
Clear section headers. “Responding to Negative Comments” beats “Engagement Protocols Section 3.2.”
Short paragraphs and bullet points. Dense blocks of text don’t get read.
Visual examples. Screenshots showing good versus problematic posts. Before/after examples of responses.
Flowcharts for decision-making. A visual decision tree for “Should I delete this comment?” is infinitely more useful than three paragraphs of explanation.
Quick reference sections. One-page summaries of the most-used information.
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“Be authentic” doesn’t help anyone. “Use contractions and casual language, but avoid slang or emojis” gives actual direction.
“Respond professionally to criticism” is vague. “Acknowledge the concern, apologize if appropriate, offer to resolve privately. Example: ‘We’re sorry to hear about your experience. Please DM us your contact information so we can follow up directly.'” is specific.
Bad: “Maintain consistent brand voice.”
Better: “Our voice is knowledgeable but approachableโlike a helpful colleague, not a corporate press release. We use ‘we’ and ‘our,’ not ‘the organization.’ We ask questions to engage readers.”
Include concrete examples throughout. Show what you mean, don’t just describe it.
Store your guide somewhere everyone who needs it can access easily. Shared drives work if everyone knows where to look. Revisit the guide every six months or so to make sure itโs still up to date. Share the guide with everyone who needs to see it, and check in to make sure they are using it. In the long run, it should save stress and maintain consistency.
Does your team have a social media guide they actually use, or does guidance exist more in theory than practice?
I also share these blog posts on LinkedIn โ visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbowness/ to connect with me there. Or hire me to help you create a practical, usable social media guide!
