Take the social media governance quiz and find your blind spots
Reveal your hidden risk areas, get your social media governance score, and receive prioritized recommendations for your brand.
Estimated completion time: 2-3 minutes
%203.avif)
Check your social media governance score
Question 1 of 8
Your social media governance score and personalized recommendations are ready. To get them sent directly to your inbox, enter your details below:
1. Who is ultimately accountable for social media accounts, approvals, and incident escalation across your organization?
No single owner, each team handles its own
Ownership is informal but understood
Marketing owns most accounts, others handle exceptions
One clear operational owner with defined escalation paths
2. How is access to social media accounts managed today?
Shared passwords or legacy access
Access granted manually when needed
Role-based access tied to job function
Role-based access with regular reviews and offboarding
3. Who can publish content on brand accounts?
Anyone with access
Approved team members only
Varies by region or channel
Defined roles based on risk, channel, and market
4. How are content approvals handled before publishing?
No formal approvals
Ad-hoc reviews via chat or email
Standard approval flow for all content
Tiered workflows based on risk, region, or content type
5. Where do social media policies live in day-to-day work?
PDF or doc stored in a shared folder
Linked in onboarding materials
Referenced during reviews or escalations
Embedded directly into publishing and approval workflows
6. How are social media contributors trained on brand, legal, and platform rules?
No formal training
One-time onboarding
Periodic refreshes or updates
Ongoing training with certification or validation
7. How confident are you that all accounts, users, and activity are visible and compliant?
Not confident
Some visibility, but incomplete
Most activity is visible
Full visibility with regular audits and reporting
8. When issues happen, what’s usually the root cause?
Human error or lack of awareness
Miscommunication between teams
Process gaps or unclear ownership
Incidents are rare due to preventive controls
What is a social media policy?
A social media policy is a documented set of rules that defines how people are expected to use social media when representing your company.
It should cover:
Social media governance is the combination of people, processes, and technology that operationalizes social media policy across all accounts, teams, and regions.
Social media policy vs. social media governance: key differences
Most brands confuse these two. They’re not interchangeable. A policy explains expectations, whereas governance ensures they’re enforced.
Enforces rules
Living operating model
Used every day
Cross-functional ownership
Designed for scale
Defines rules
Static document
Read once
Usually owned by HR or Legal
Relies on compliance
Why social media policies fail without governance
Most brands already have a social media policy, but many still experience brand damage, security incidents, or compliance risk. Here’s why:
Social media is decentralized
Accounts are run by regions, franchises, agencies, and employees. A single document can’t control distributed execution.
Policies don’t enforce behavior
PDFs don’t manage access, approvals, or publishing. They rely on memory and best intentions.
Speed outpaces oversight
Content quantity increases as a brand grows, but oversight often doesn't. This is especially true for brands using AI to accelerate content creation.
Workflow gaps drive risk
Most incidents happen because of incorrect access, outdated guidelines or untrained contributors. Not because someone ignored the policy on purpose.
The social media governance framework
Effective social media governance operates across six core areas: ownership, access, approvals, policy enablement, training, and enforcement. Together, these form a repeatable operating model for managing social media at scale.
Ownership & accountability
Clear owners for accounts, approvals, and escalation.
Role-based access
Who can publish, approve, comment, or manage accounts.
Approval & publishing workflows
Structured processes that match risk level and region.
Policy enablement
Policies embedded into workflows, not buried in folders.
Training & certification
Ensuring contributors understand brand, legal, and platform rules.
Auditing & enforcement
Visibility into compliance, usage, and violations.
Policy still matters, just not alone.
If you’re looking to create or update your social media policy, or learn more about governance, let our team help you get started, with a free 15-minute consultation.
FAQs
What should a social media policy include?
A strong policy includes scope, employee responsibilities, brand voice guidelines, approval workflows, security requirements, and consequences for misuse.
Is a social media policy legally required?
Not always, but it significantly reduces legal, brand, and security risk and is considered best practice.
How often should a social media policy be updated?
At least annually, and more often if platforms, regulations, or tools change.
Does a social media policy apply to personal accounts?
Yes, when employees represent the company or discuss company matters publicly.