The only thing consistent about social media… is change.
With platforms, trends, and user behaviors evolving constantly, it’s essential for dealers to regularly review and update their employee social media policy.
Does your store have a social media policy in place?
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If yes, when was the last time you reviewed it? If it’s been more than six months, a refresh may be overdue.
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If not, there’s no better time than now to implement one.
A well-crafted policy protects your brand, empowers your team, and helps you navigate the ever-shifting digital landscape with confidence.
Company Assets and the Importance of Regular Reviews
Whether public or private, a company’s market value is directly tied to the assets it holds. That includes both tangible assets—like cash, property, and facilities—and intangible ones, such as brand equity, online reputation, and digital content.
In today’s digital landscape, intangible assets often carry just as much weight. Your website, social media presence, online reviews and the content you publish all contribute to how your company is perceived—and ultimately, how much it’s worth.
One of the best ways to protect these assets is through a clear, company-wide employee social media policy. A written policy sets expectations, promotes consistency, and safeguards your digital presence.
Just as you regularly review financial statements, budgets, and operational performance, it’s essential to review your dealership social media policy at least once a year. Doing so ensures it stays relevant, compliant, and aligned with your business goals.
8 Smart Reasons to Update Your Dealership Social Media Policy Now
Social media is an incredible tool—but it also brings risk, especially when there’s no clear guidance for your team. Each time I’ve presented at a 20 Group or conference, it’s clear that dealer anxiety around employee behavior online is real, and it’s not going away anytime soon. That’s why reviewing your social media policy every 6 to 12 months can bring peace of mind and better protect your business.
You can’t control everything, but with a strong policy in place that provides guardrails, you significantly reduce your exposure to risk.
Here are eight compelling reasons to review or implement an employee social media policy today:
1. Support the hiring process and onboarding
New hires should be introduced to your company’s expectations around social media on day one. Including the policy in your employee handbook—and requiring a signed acknowledgment—sets the tone for transparency and accountability.
Given how quickly platforms and norms change, revisiting your policy annually ensures it stays current and relevant.
2. Safeguard your social media accounts
We’ve all heard about one or more catastrophes when companies haven’t set up their social media accounts correctly. Some companies don’t survive with their social profiles intact; some never regain access to them.
One of the benefits of doing a dealership social media policy review is you can examine each account, figure out if you’re set up correctly and make a course correction if necessary.
There are specific best practices to setting up and maintaining social media accounts. First order of business is to only allow company domain emails to be designated Admins on your accounts. Here’s how to do it:
- Always provide your social media manager (or really any employee) with a work email, one that you have control over, such as employeename@companyname.com.
- It’s fine to use something like, “socialmediamanager@companyname.com,” as long as the email is hosted on your own server and your IT department controls it.
- Any designated Admin should only be able to use their work email address to access your social media accounts. If they ever leave, you’ll have control over it and change the password immediately.
3. Be ready for a social media crisis
We’ve seen enough social media debacles at Kruse Control in the last several years to know that it’s not a matter of if, but when it will happen to anyone. Are you prepared for when it happens to you?
Crisis management starts with a plan. Your social media policy should include guidelines for identifying, responding to, and resolving an online crisis.
- What types of incidents pose reputational risk?
- How will you know when the crisis hits? Who monitors for emerging issues and manages the crisis?
- Who is authorized to respond?
- How will you know it’s been averted or mitigated?
Having a company-wide crisis mitigation plan in place will empower you to act quickly and effectively when a crisis arises.
Instead of wasting time debating how to handle things on social media, you’ll be prepared to take action and prevent the crisis from growing out of control.
4. Reduce legal risk and liability
Social media can easily cross into legal gray areas—sometimes without anyone realizing it. Common pitfalls include:
- Unauthorized use of copyrighted images or intellectual property
- Defamatory or misleading posts about competitors
- Unkept promises
- Advertising violations
- Mishandling of user data or violating advertising regulations
A dealership social media policy helps employees understand where those lines are and stay within them.
Pro Tip: The use of social media increases the risk of accidentally committing libel, slander, copyright infringement, and privacy invasion. All those posts can lead to lawsuits, but a good General Liability Insurance policy can help. The policy should include Employment Practices Liability, as well as protection for “advertising injury,” which can cover claims from your competitors or the public.
5. Prevent accidental leaks of confidential information
From casual workplace posts to private messages gone public, leaks happen. That’s why vigilance and ongoing training are essential—to protect both individuals and the organization.
Employees often use personal devices to discuss work-related matters on social media, sometimes without realizing they’re crossing a line. These seemingly innocent interactions—during or outside of work hours—can result in the accidental exposure of confidential information.
Another social media security concern — which continues to make headlines — is that criminals can exploit social media to rapidly disseminate “fake news” and other forms of misinformation. Such devious tricks impact more than just politics: they can be used to manipulate stock prices, harm personal or business reputations, or even cause people to take actions that harm innocent parties while helping criminals.
At Kruse Control, our custom-crafted social media policies clearly outline the consequences of accidental data leaks. We work closely with clients and their legal counsel to identify areas of vulnerability and recommend proactive measures to minimize risk.
6. Protect your digital reputation
Businesses around the world ranked damage to their reputation or brand, magnified by social media, as their top risk management concern, according to the Aon Global Risk Management Survey.
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” -Warren Buffett
A single post can do lasting damage.
And unlike the past, when only marketing and PR shaped the brand voice, every employee now plays a part. A formal dealership social media policy aligns everyone with the same standards and safeguards your public image.
High-profile crises—from cyberattacks to product recalls to viral social media missteps—are becoming more common. In this climate, protecting your company’s reputation isn’t just important—it’s a strategic necessity.
Despite the stakes, many dealerships still lack a written plan for managing reputation risk. Historically, reputation was seen as the domain of marketing or PR. But that changed with the rise of social media.
Today, every employee is a brand ambassador, whether they intend to be or not.
Regularly reviewing and updating your employee social media policy is a powerful way to protect and strengthen your store’s digital reputation. It brings internal practices into alignment and ensures that everyone—from the front line to the leadership team—understands their role in upholding the brand.
7. Integrate HR into your digital communications
Social media has become a key tool in recruiting—and HR is playing a bigger role in how organizations manage their online presence.
As social selling becomes more embedded in the sales process, HR is no longer on the sidelines. From sourcing candidates to shaping company culture online, HR is now an integral part of any organization’s social media strategy.
There’s also a rising trend of hiring individuals with strong personal social media followings. These employee-influencers are often seen as subject matter experts, especially in customer-facing roles like sales.
That’s why any review of your dealership social media policy should include clear guidance on HR’s role: how they participate, what decisions they help shape, and how they support the organization’s goals for employee engagement and brand integrity online.
8. Reassessment of dealership digital retail strategy
Thanks to the pandemic, employees are online more than ever because car buyers now expect a seamless online experience. That means your employees are on social media more than ever—promoting vehicles, engaging with leads, and posting videos.
Is your current dealership social media policy prepared for:
- Social selling and lead generation via personal profiles?
- Salesperson introduction videos
- Walk-around and demo videos?
- Messaging and promises made in DMs?
If not, now is the time to reassess your policy and ensure it aligns with your evolving retail model.
Final thoughts
With the shift toward digital retailing, your dealership’s online reputation is more exposed than ever.
Is your organization prepared for that level of visibility? Truthfully, most dealers—and even manufacturers—are not.
Now is the time to create, review and/or update your employee social media policy to reflect the realities of selling cars online. From social selling to lead follow-up to video content, every digital interaction shapes how your dealership is perceived. Make sure your policy protects your store and supports your team in this emerging landscape.
If you haven’t done an dealership social media policy review, or you need a social media policy tailored for your organization, I’m here to help. Contact me >>here<< and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.