Social Media Guidelines

Introduction

Social media is the term commonly given to websites and online tools (such as Facebook and Twitter) which allow users to interact with each other in some way –by sharing information, opinions, knowledge and interests. As the name implies, social media involves the building of communities or networks, encouraging participation and engagement.

The use of social media presents exciting opportunities for the Council to have conversations with the wider community in order to share news, provide information on services, and seek opinions from our residents and service users, and answer their questions. Alongside these opportunities it must be recognised that there are risks attached to the use of social media. Distribution of material cannot be controlled. Once posted to an initial target audience, material can be shared anywhere through the networks of each individual in that audience and beyond. It is therefore important that users of social media understand the pitfalls as well as the benefits of the technology.

Tendring District Council (TDC) has a corporate Twitter account with around 7,500 followers, enabling immediate responses to enquiries received in this way and providing two-way communication. Recent tweets are featured on the home pages of Ping! and the TDC website. Some services have their own accounts.

The corporate Facebook page currently has more than 7,400 followers, while there are a number of council services which have their own social media presence giving up-to-date information on events and services we provide. For example, Leisure Centres have a Facebook page and Instagram account used to inform customers of class and timetable changes, while the Princes Theatre Facebook and Instagram pages have more than 9,500 followers between them—and has become an invaluable tool for raising awareness of various events and shows the theatre hosts to large numbers instantaneously.

Social media channels are not limited to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram—there are many, and TDC also uses, for example, LinkedIn and YouTube. TDC is committed to improving the quality and interest of the posts and timeliness of updating through these channels of communication, which will in turn lead to messages being spread by organically, and develops a two-way dialogue with us. This helps us understand who is interacting with us and what they are interested in, so we can develop services and market our products such as leisure facilities, theatre productions and business help, engaging with a wider customer base.

Social media channels are an important vehicle for the Council to connect with a wider range of our community. It forms part of the channel shift and Transformation agenda, encouraging people to interact with the Council using digital means—which can deliver financial savings in interaction costs, or drive customers to use income-generating services.

To be effective social media cannot be just the remit of the Communications team, but a tool available to all staff (with appropriate training and oversight). They are media which continue to grow and should be embraced by TDC as an organisation.

These guidelines have been introduced to ensure appropriate, legal and effective use of social media as communication channels for Tendring District Council.

These guidelines should be read in conjunction with the Council’s Social Media Policy, IT monitoring, IT security, Internet and e-mail policies and the corporate Communications Strategy

Aims

• To provide guidance to our staff on the use of social media in relation to the Council.
• To ensure that any Council communication through social media meets legal requirements and is consistent with other communication activities.
• To ensure that all the Council’s social media sites are easily identifiable as originating from the Council and correctly apply the Council’s logo and brand guidelines.
• To protect the reputation of the Council while embracing the possibilities of social media as a communication channel.

Principles

These principles apply to your online participation and set out the standards of behaviour expected as an employee of the Council.

Remember - you should participate in the same way as you would with other media or public forums.

• Be professional - remember that you are an ambassador for the Council.
• Be responsible - be honest at all times and when you gain insight; share it with others where appropriate.
• Be credible - be accurate, fair, and thorough and make sure you are doing the right thing.

Always remember that participation online results in your comments being permanently available and open to being republished in other media. Never give out personal details like home address and phone numbers.

Also be aware that you may attract media interest, so proceed with care whether you are participating in a business or a personal capacity. If you have any doubts, take advice from your line manager or Communications representative. Stay within the legal framework and be aware that libel, defamation, copyright and data protection laws apply.

We have house rules on our social media channels that we ask the public to abide by, to keep them as safe and useful spaces. Staff should follow these too.

Our accounts are non-political and you must not engage in political discussion

Guidelines - Council-run Channels

Staff wishing to use social media as a channel for a project or campaign must first discuss and agree this with their Assistant/Corporate Director to ensure that there is a clear purpose and content is suitable for the target audience. It must then be discussed and agreed with the Communications Manager, as per the Social Media Policy—prior to being set up, to ensure that they can be properly resourced and managed.

Social media channels featuring the Council’s logo or branding must comply with branding guidelines. The use of the Council logo or branding on social media channels must be authorised prior to publication by the Communications Manager, as part of the new channel process.

If you come across a group using the Tendring brand and/or logo which you know not to be run by the Council, please contact the Communications Manager.

Contact details or photos of service users or staff should not be included without first obtaining their permission—due regard must be had for GDPR and Data Protection law at all times.

Please ensure that you comply fully with this Guidance at all times whilst using any forms of social media whilst carrying out your work.

If you have any queries please contact your line manager, Assistant or Corporate Director, or the Communications Manager or their team.

Failure to maintain high standards could result in the channel being removed—remember, a bad channel can be more damaging to the council’s reputation than not having a channel at all

Officer Authorisation

A senior manager appropriate to the function will act as “responsible officer” for each account. They will monitor content and

use, and identify authorised officers to post from it. A register is maintained of staff permitted to use social media.

Roles & Responsibilities

Assistant and Corporate Directors are responsible for ensuring that employees are aware of their work related and personal responsibilities.

All managers are responsible for ensuring that their staff understand the Social Media Policy and these guidelines, and for giving advice where employees are unsure of appropriate content.

The Communications Group is responsible for reviewing these guidelines on a regular basis to ensure it remains fit for purpose, and for promoting them with their individual service. All employees are responsible for reading and complying with this policy.

Monitoring

Employees’ use of social networking sites may be monitored in accordance with the Council’s IT Monitoring Policy.

Inappropriate posting / tweeting on behalf of the Council, or excessive non-Council related use may result in disciplinary action and/or the removal of access to these facilities. Any inappropriate posts / tweets will be removed without prior notice.

Responding

Employees are only expected to monitor and respond to social media enquiries during working hours. Responding ad hoc outside of these times risks weakening the public’s expectation of response times. Be clear in the bio/summary what these times are.

All enquiries should be responded to promptly. This may involve a holding response until more detailed information can be obtained and shared.

See more in Appendix One ‘How to respond on social media’

Social media - the basics

Here are some handy tips which work across all social media:

• Content is king, and therefore must be quality. Engaging posts ALWAYS have an image, and video is strongly encouraged. Keep your text concise—if you want people to read more, include a link to a website so they have the option of wading through text
• Good content is tailored to your channel—a good tweet is not the same as a good Facebook post, do not be tempted to copy and paste your message between social media channels. Don’t post on one just because you did the other, think about what you hope to achieve.
• If you’re unsure, don’t post it. Err on the side of caution. Be thoughtful and polite. You are the face of the Council.
• You can have fun. If the person messaging/posting uses emojis, and there is an appropriate one to respond with, go for it. Likewise share a joke—just always be mindful of other ways of interpreting what you are saying.
• Look out for security threats. Phishing attempts, dodgy links, are all present on social media.
• Don’t make promises. Unless you’ve got the specific go-ahead, the most you should promise is to look into something.
• Handle complex queries using other channels. If an enquiry is complicated, steer the discussion onto phone or email.
• Don’t just wade in—it is often tempting, especially when people are being negative, to jump in on the defensive. Often it is best to sit back, and others will defend the Council for you. However, correcting inaccuracies can sometimes be helpful.
• Do share posts from partner organisations—they support us, and we should support them, for example Essex Police, ECFRS, Essex Highways. But only do so if their post meets our guidelines.
• Likewise, do tag in other organisations if they are better placed to answer an enquiry.
• Remember accessibility—use alt text, plain English and consider design. If using an infographic, replicate the text in the post or provide a link to the information in HTML.
• Do not outreach beyond Council pages unless explicitly authorised to do so.
• Remember your audience. The tone of your words will help specific people understand your point. Use short, engaging posts, and consider use of images and video too.
• Consider if your post or response is public or private. Even if it is private, consider the implications for if it is made public.
• You can delete a bad post. However, the way Facebook works means that it will already have been posted and may have already been seen—and screenshotted— before you delete it. Act, therefore, as if nothing can be deleted. But do delete or edit posts which should be amended.
• Do not get into an argument. If you feel a situation is descending into confrontation ask the poster to use more private means of communicating with your departmental area such as telephone or email, and escalate to a manager. Never write anything which you would not say to someone’s face.
• You are still a representative of the Council when posting. Check your posts for spelling, grammar, and any unintended meanings. Never use text speak.
• If you wish to promote your new account by linking to it on other Council accounts please contact the Communications Team who will assist you with this. It is not appropriate to do this too frequently or repetitively—if this is the case then really consider if a separate account is required.
• If someone is abusive, racist, sexist or in any other way inappropriate—in breach of our Expected Behaviour (see Appendix One) — please contact your line manager or a member of the Communications Group for advice and for appropriate action.
• If you are ever unsure of how to deal with a situation on Facebook, please contact your line manager, a member of the Communications Group, or the Communications Team. If someone asks you to comment on any news stories, please refer it to the Communications Team.
• Be aware that the people you are communicating with might have literacy issues, be dyslexic or not have English as their first language. Always be patient.
• If you’re going on leave make sure someone else is picking up monitoring the account, and where possible look to schedule posts to cover the period so the account is not inactive. If you do not have anybody then contact the Communications Team for assistance.

Getting Started with Facebook

Before you create a Facebook Account there are a few things to think about and take note of:

• In most cases the corporate Facebook page should be utilised, rather than a new one created. Consider if an event may be more appropriate than a page.

• What you would like the page to be called, and what information will you want to include? Think about what you would like the end part of your web address to be after http// - for example http://www.facebook.com/<whatyouwanthere>.
• Ensure the page is set up correctly. Consider auto-replies for messages, disabling external comments and posts. Make sure you have a plan to keep the page populated—think about scheduling posts and a forward plan for content.
• Access should always be run through Facebook Business Manager—not through personal accounts, and never through a ‘work account’.
• Consider if you also want to create a linked Instagram account.

Getting Started with Instagram

• Remember Instagram is a very visual platform; good pictures and videos are key.
• Use hashtags to reach audiences and connect with trends
• Consider using stories for any short-term messaging as a good way of reaching more people.

Getting Started with LinkedIn

• LinkedIn has a very specific business/job focus, so remember that when considering what to post
• Tag partner organisations in to boost reach and use hashtags
• Long form content can work well on LinkedIn

Getting Started with Twitter

• When setting up a Twitter account for the first time, you will be asked to choose a username. Choose wisely, you cannot change your mind. The longer the username, the fewer letters you can type into the Twitter update box, which means less space to tell people about your event.

• Don’t get into a fight on Twitter. If the tone of a discussion is going downwards, take it off Twitter and onto a more appropriate communication channel such as email or telephone.

• Be concise. You have 280 characters to play with—consider use of images, (e.g. photos of a full statement, though also consider here accessibility), or the use of a thread.

• Re-tweeting (RT) a partner organisation is fine. Consider whether it is better to add a comment to add a TDC message.
• If someone is asking for information, pointing them to a link which explains in detail is fine. Not everything can be answered in 280 characters. Likewise, re-direct them to a relevant organisation if TDC is not responsible.

• If you are tweeting from a public meeting, always be an impartial observer when tweeting information. If you have committed to tweeting from a meeting or event and cannot for any reason, contact someone outside the meeting to post apologies.

• Don’t ‘spam’ people; don’t send six updates in quick succession when you can fit your message into one. The six updates won’t appear in other people’s streams in succession, instead they’ll make no sense as other peoples updates appear in between yours. Alternatively consider a thread or using a #hashtag

• Don’t post too many updates per day, and spread them out using a scheduling tool, unless doing a specific event or activity e.g. Twitterthon. If you have a lot to say, consider whether Twitter is the best communication channel to say it with.

• Don’t butt into other people’s conversations unless you’ve spoken to a participant before. If you have something really important to say, send a Direct Message. But do engage with wider conversations and topics if relevant to the account.

• Consider using Tweetdeck or similar software to schedule posts, manage multiple accounts and otherwise be more efficient with Twitter.

Appendix One — How to respond on social media

When a customer messages our page:

1. We read the message, make sure we understand it, and answer their question.
2. If we need more information to understand their message, ask them to explain more / send pictures.
3. Most questions can be answered by using our website, or self-reporting through the site or MyTendring. To be most helpful provide the answer, but send the relevant web link explaining more detail is available.
4. You may already have saved replies on the Facebook Messenger service, enabling a quick and consistent response to commonly asked questions.
5. Any question you are unable to answer, or can’t find the answer too, ask a colleague, the relevant service or the Communications Team
6. If that is the case, it is important to respond to the customer, explaining you are seeking extra information and that as soon as you get a response then you will message them back. You must acknowledge their message.
7. When answering please send the message with ^ (shift+6) and your initials (e.g. ^WL) to make the response more human.

See the below for some Do’s and Don’ts.

Do’s

• Answer messages as soon as possible.
• Even if you don’t know the answer (yet), reply saying you have contacted someone to find out the answer for them and will be in touch as soon as you get a response.
• Match your customers’ written vocabulary. For example, if a customer messages you with ‘Dear…’, ‘Kind regards’
• Then you should mirror their formal message and respond in a formal manner. Say ‘Hello’, or ‘Good morning/afternoon’. Be welcoming and kind. This makes the customer feel comfortable when asking their questions.
• Always be polite even if they are complaining, and listen to their concerns.
• If a customer is using abusive language or otherwise breaching the Expected Behaviour then inform your line manager or the Communications Team, for appropriate response.
• Keep customers in the loop of what you are doing. Let them know when you have sent emails to the team, received emails back, if you are doing some research on their question. This stops the customer from thinking you have ignored them and keeps them happy as it shows you are doing everything to help them out.
• Send the customers to the correct links and double check you are messaging the correct customer.
• Always check your spelling, grammar, and if your message makes sense.
• When dealing with a customer put your initials at the end of your message. For example: ^EK

Don’ts

• Don’t ignore any messages; always answer even if they’re angry or repetitive (up to a point; there may come a time when you need to cut off a customer).

• When dealing with a customer try not to pass them onto lots of different people. This will confuse the customer and lose their trust in us. By dealing with the question yourself it will stop customers having to repeat themselves and will help you understand the full problem.
• Don’t forget to email or contact someone when a customer asks for a questions. Always remember to do it straight away so you don’t forget.
• Don’t promise a customer something as you can’t always stick to your word. Always say you will try your best / do everything you can to help. This will make the customer trust you and if you are unable to help then the customer knows you at least tried your best to help them.
• If a customer is angry, do not respond back in the same attitude, this will escalate the situation. You should reply back in a calm manner and if you need to take time out to calm down then do so. Give yourself a two-minute break before replying to consider your response. Get a colleague to check your reply.
• Don’t be afraid to take a complicated response off a comment/open post to a direct message, or even an email

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Appendix Two — Expected Behaviour

This document is available on our website at www.tendringdc.gov.uk/council/consultation-contact-and-complaints/keep-touch.

We aim to keep our social media channels as a pleasant experience for both the public and our staff to use. To help us maintain this space for the benefit of all, we expect our users to follow these rules, helping them to remain respectful of other users and our staff who run our accounts. Our staff are also obliged to follow our Social Media Policy and internal guidelines, for the same reasons.*-

CONTENT

When uploading content:

• all users must comply with the social media platform’s terms and conditions
• you are responsible for the content you post and choose to share
• we will remove or ignore posts we feel are inappropriate
• we will report and remove any social media profiles that use Tendring District Council’s imagery without permission

MESSAGES

We will remove, block, ban and/ or report users who direct messages at us which we believe:

• bully, harass or intimidate any individual or organisation
• are unlawful, libellous, defamatory, abusive, threatening, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, racially offensive or otherwise discriminatory
• are deceptive or misleading
• infringe or violate someone else's rights, violate the law or violate any intellectual property rights
• discuss ongoing legal proceedings
• are spam, advertise products or services
• are irrelevant or off-topic
• are disruptive or repetitive

USERS

We will also remove, block, report or ban any user who:

• encourages others to post such messages
• uses offensive images as their profile picture or has an offensive user name