Social media accounts policy

Creating any social media accounts, whether branded or non-branded, for a Food store, area, region, department, depot or Funeralcare home without the Co-op Social Media Team’s express consent is prohibited. The only Social Media Accounts which are affiliated with Co-op that are permitted are ones which have been granted, or can be access, by the Co-op Social Media Team. All other accounts are in breech of this Social Media Policy.

Why are Social Media Accounts not permitted?

There are several reasons why independent Co-op accounts are not permitted, including:

• To ensure that all messages published by Co-op are ASA compliant and meet all legal marketing regulations
• To ensure all marketing and messages seen by consumers relating to Co-op are on brand and in line with our brand stance and messaging
• To ensure that all giveaways have the expressed consent and approval of the Co-op legal team
• To ensure Co-op as a brand is protected against all breeches of marketing legislation around HFSS
• To ensure all customer complaints are directed to our dedicated customer services team and abide by our SLA

In summary, we do not permit any accounts to exist which could cause Co-op to be prosecuted for incorrect messages being published.

We may ask you to remove online content that’s not in line with this Policy, and failure to proceed with the removal may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including summary dismissal. Failure to adhere to this policy may also been seen as a breach of your contract.

How can I engage with my community if I do not have a dedicated social media page/profile to do this?

People in your community are more likely to engage with you on social media if you’re a genuine person (yourself), not a brand/logo. In fact, they’re also 10x more likely to trust something that is posted by a person, not a brand.

Some colleagues do prefer to have a separate social media account as themselves to share updates about their work, including things they have done and news about Co-op. This is fine, as long as your work account is identifiable as a real person and has your real name as the Bio/handle! You will find some tips on how to do this here.

You can also find some tips below on how to engage with communities on the different Social Media platforms below.

If you have any questions or would like to ensure your profile is not breeching the social accounts policy, just drop us a DM on @coopukcolleague or email us at social@coop.co.uk and we’ll be happy to help you.

Please also remember that every time you post on social media you need to abide by the social media policy, which you can find here.

Have you heard about Social Hub?

Social Hub is a great place to access lots of amazing Co-op social media content, designed to be shared by colleagues straight to their social media profiles in exchange for points. And points = prizes. You can find out more and sign up to Social Hub here.

All the content is branded and approved by Co-op, meaning you can share approved Co-op messages, news and campaign as yourself to help shout about the amazing work Co-op and our colleagues are doing.

What should I be sharing?

• community stories & local causes #ItsWhatWeDo
• celebration/payout days with local causes #ItsWhatWeDo
• own brand products you’ve enjoyed #ItsWhatWeDo & #TasteAndTell
• volunteering efforts #BeingCoop
• team events & personal achievements #BeingCoop
• if you’re voting in our AGM #ItsWhatWeDo
• celebrating Pride #PrideInCoop
• working at a festival #BeingCoop

On Twitter

Twitter is an open platform, meaning you can have great, engaging conversations with your friends, brands and people who have similar interests to you.

• use hashtags on Twitter to join in with conversations. For example location-based hashtags like #Manchester, Co-op hashtags like #ItsWhatWeDo or Trending hashtags
• check out our Social Media training, available here
• like & follow Co-op Colleagues on Twitter
• retweet, like & share posts you see on Co-op’s Twitter
• update your social media bio on Twitter to introduce and identify yourself, you can include where you work (e.g. Colleague @coopuk)

On Facebook

Facebook is a closed platform, meaning people can set up profiles which mean only their friends and family who they have connected with can see their content. People also go to Facebook to connect with people in community groups, so you still have great opportunities to engage with others, but do not set up any groups or pages that are affiliated with Co-op. Here’s some tips to help you engage on this platform as yourself:

• join local community groups on Facebook and share news and events on behalf of your Co-op in there
• Check out our social media training, available here
• like & follow Co-op Colleagues on Facebook
• like & share posts you see on Co-op’s Facebook
• join our Co-op Communities Facebook group to share with local causes and Member Pioneers

On Instagram

People generally go to Instagram for inspiration and education on cultural topics, using hashtags like Twitter to find posts relating to specific topics. Here’s some tips to help you engage on this platform as yourself:

• share photos and videos on Instagram whilst using the location function
• use hashtags to join in with conversations. For example location-based hashtags like #Manchester, Co-op hashtags like #ItsWhatWeDo or Trending hashtags
• check out our Social Media training, available here
• repost, like & share posts you see on Co-op’s Instagram
• update your social media bio to introduce and identify yourself, you can include where you work (e.g. Colleague @coopuk)

Things you should know

• Contact the Social Media team social@coop.co.uk if you have any questions
• Co-op social media principles
• Co-op colleague social media policy
• Co-op social media community policy