Who needs a Social Media policy? Because most employees in the US have at least one active social media profile, one comment, post, or tweet can attract lots of attention – welcome or not.

Listen and download Growing Social Now on your favorite podcast app.

Social media policies give employees guidelines on how and when to share updates about their employer, the company.

Listen in as Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips, two original corporate communications thought leaders join us to outline what you need to know about how to empower, engage and encourage employees to share their voice on social media now.

Sharon and Sharon co-host the popular podcast EEVoice on the FIR podcast network. In the late 90s Sharon, Sharon, and Barbara worked together on Sears’ internal corporate communications team to launch projects like one of the first Fortune 100 corporate intranets, innovative executive communications publications, and creative internal communications strategies for over 300,000 associates.

In this episode, you will learn . . .

Key elements of a good corporate social media policy

Tips on working with HR and Legal to draft and update a social media policy

Mistakes not to make when crafting your social media policy

How to communicate your social media policy

How to respond to activism How to train and encourage employees to become brand ambassadors

Lessons from challenges faced at PepsiCo

Get ready to rewrite your social media policy and discover how your employees can be your best brand ambassadors.

Social Media Policy Do’s and Don’ts with Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips

Sharon McIntosh, President, And Then Communications

Sharon McIntosh is president of And Then Communications. With more than two decades of communications experience, Sharon has a passion for creating and executing new ideas to drive employee engagement at companies both large and small. Most recently Sharon served as PepsiCo’s vice president of Global Internal Communications, overseeing the company’s efforts to connect with its more than 274,000 employees worldwide. Sharon and her team launched a number of innovative employee initiatives, including the company’s first social media training (SMART U), a social tool to share internal news externally and PepsiCo’s award-winning employee ambassador program. Sharon and her team also developed a communications strategy to support the company’s first comprehensive, global and multi-year transformation initiative. Before joining PepsiCo in 2004, Sharon spent seven years at Sears. Among her greatest contributions there, she launched a marketing strategy for life events, ran user experience for the company’s e-commerce site and introduced the company’s first intranet. Prior to Sears, Sharon worked at Waste Management, publishing more than 14 annual reports for various business units, managing shareholder meetings, drafting senior executive speeches and handling media relations. Sharon graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University and an M.A. from DePaul University. She lives in Norwalk, CT.

Sharon Phillips, Principal, Sharon Phillips Communications

Sharon Phillips is the principal of Sharon Phillips Communications, which focuses on employee engagement and corporate communications strategy and support. Prior to relaunching her consultancy in 2014, she served as director of Global Internal Communications at PepsiCo. During her seven years with the company, Sharon led corporate communications and employee engagement initiatives, including the launch of the company’s inaugural employee ambassador program, global transformation of its operating model and first global internal communications audit. Earlier in her career, Sharon served as senior communications manager at Allstate Insurance Company, where she led a team of eight responsible for executive and internal communications for the company’s IT division. Before Allstate, Sharon served as director of internal communications at Sears Holdings Corporation focused on CEO and change management communications. During her time at Sears, Sharon created an award-winning communications program that improved relations with the company’s activist retiree group and helped drive numerous merger, productivity and change management initiatives for the evolving company. Earlier, Sharon served as senior vice president at a full-service public relations agency serving a broad spectrum of business to business and professional services clients. Sharon holds a B.A. in English from the University of Missouri. She lives in the Charleston, South Carolina area.

Listen to EEVoice Podcast

Connect with Sharon McIntosh on LinkedIn

Connect with Sharon Phillips on LinkedIn

Connect with Barbara Rozgonyi on LinkedIn

• internal communications
• social media management
• brand ambassadors
• human resources
• employee engagement
• pepsico social media
• social media strategy
• social media policy
• employer branding
• executive communications
• corporate communications
• #growingsocialnow

The post Social Media Policy Do’s and Don’ts with Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips | Growing Social Now appeared first on Barbara Rozgonyi.