Social Media Guidelines

Social Media Guidelines Training

This video, recorded in January 2025, provides the latest top tips on effective use of social media for work here at Tendring District Council.

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Introduction

Social media is the term commonly given to websites and online tools (such as Facebook and Instagram) 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.

Social media plays a vital part within Tendring District council, as it provides 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.

Whilst there are 6 main TDC social accounts, there are now over 30 different social media accounts across different platforms, covering a number of council services which have their own social media presence giving up-to-date information on events and services we provide.

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

These guidelines help to establish clear and effective rules for the use of social media, ensuring positive engagement a consistent brand image.

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.

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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:

• Limit social media usage of council accounts during working hours (including message replies).
• Regular posting is encouraged, but only post content that is relevant.
• If someone is abusive, racist, sexist or in any other way inappropriate—in breach of our Expected Behaviour, please contact your line manager or a member of the Communications group for advice and for appropriate action. Hide the comments in the meantime.
• Look out for security threats. Phishing attempts, dodgy links, are all present on social media.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• ·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.

• When adding a link, try to do this in the comments as it can effect the algorithm in the text.
• Remember your audience. The tone of your words will help specific people understand your point.
• Don’t make promises. Unless you’ve got the specific go-ahead, the most you should promise is to look into something.
• Mistakes happen - try editing the post/comment or delete and redo if you need to.
• 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.
• If you are ever unsure of how to deal with a situation on Facebook, please contact your line manager, or the Communications Team. If someone asks you to comment on any news stories, please refer it to the Communications Team.
• 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.

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Tips For Using Facebook

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• Access should always be run through Facebook Business Manager - not through personal accounts.
• Consider auto-replies for messages (for during out of working hours).
• *Content should be clear, on brand and aesthetically pleasing.
• Make sure any content is relevant to the page.
• Block certain words from comments. (Any comments including these words will be automatically hidden).
• You can schedule posts in Business Manager and choose the day and time. (Helpful for busier periods).

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Tips For Using Instagram

• Instagram is a very visual platform - good pictures and videos are best. Or graphics with little amounts of text.
• Use (relevant) hashtags to help reach further audiences.
• Stories are a good way to share any short term messages.

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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

Tips For Using X (Twitter)

• 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.
• 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.
• · Re-sharing a partner organisation is fine. Consider adding a message with the reshare.

Appendix One — How to respond on social media

:Tips for responding to messages on social media:

• Make sure you understand the message and ask the person to expand if needed.
• Most questions can be answered by using our website, your knowledge or self-reporting through the website. When possible, provide the answer, but send the relevant web link explaining more detail is available.
• You can create ‘saved replies’ on Facebook Messenger, enabling a quick and consistent response to commonly asked questions.
• Any question you are unable to answer, or can’t find the answer too, ask a colleague, the relevant service or the Communications Team.
• 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
• To finish your response, add your initials to make it more personal without giving away too much detail, and also so you know who responded in case this is needed at a later date. Example: ‘^WL’.
• Use your common sense - remember at all times that you are representing the Council, and always ask for help if you are unsure.

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

Do’s

• Answer messages as soon as possible (within working hours).
• 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.
• If a customer is using abusive language or otherwise breaching the Expected Behaviour then inform your line manager or the Communications Team, for an appropriate response.
• Make sure to keep residents in the loop with their queries, it is our job to help.
• 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: ^WL.
• Encourage positive engagement and respond to comments and messages promptly.
• Ensure all information shared is accurate and up-to-date.

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Don’ts

• Don’t ignore messages/questions, even if the customer is angry/repetitive. (up to a point; there may come a time when you need to cut off a customer).
• Don’t forget to contact someone when a resident asks a question - and make sure to update them.
• Don’t promise a resident something as you may not always be able to stick to it. Just make sure to do your best to answer the resident.
• ¨ 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 add graphics/images that are not in guide with the TDC brand. If you are unsure, then please check with the Comms Team.
• Share confidential or sensitive information about the council, its employees, or its residents

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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

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Tips For Creating Content On Social Media

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• You can simply use a photo if you have one and then add the text to the description. Make sure the image is a good quality.
• It does not have to be one photo- it can be a carousel of several images.
• Canva is a really useful tool for creating graphics. You can find plenty of guide videos for this on their website/Youtube.
• The graphic should be clear to read and not overcomplicated.
• Don’t fill the graphic or image with too much text.
• Text needs to be big enough to read- remember that most people view social media posts on their phone.
• Check the details of photos - crop or remove ugly items such as cables.
• Consider the colours on a graphic - keep them on brand and easy to read.
• Use the correct dimensions - different platforms have different measurements
• Check the details - Crop or remove ugly items such as cables.
• Dates should be written as 20 March - no ‘th’ (It creates cleaner, shorter text).
• Try not to include children or those who are not capable of giving consent unless consent has been given.
• Use numbers rather than spelling out the number.
• Use emojis at the end of sentences not before or in the middle of text as those using screen readers will be confused.
• Avoid capitals, italics, illegible fonts and acronyms.
• Break up text into bitesize chunks, using spaces between paragraphs.
• The first sentence/paragraph of the text is what draws people in to reading further - try and make this as captivating as possible.

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