Due to the rapid advancement of technology over the last few years, social media has become an increasingly powerful tool. Social media is used daily among consumers, clients and businesses to spread brand messages, share stories, advertise services, provide entertainment and more. It can be daunting for a business, however having a social media presence is what today’s consumers expect from brands, if there is no social media for a brand there can be lack of trust and loyalty.
But simply having a social media presence is not enough, you need to be able to learn how to use it properly and stay on top of the social media trends and best practices, if you really want to impress the customers and build a strong ROI. Social media, when used and managed well, can help businesses boost brand loyalty, create online traffic to your domain and increase sales in your business.
In order to assist you, avoid mistakes and get the most of your social media business presence, we have put up a list of the top 7 social media dos and don’ts.
DO: Think before you share.
Think before you share and consider factors like who your audience is, what’s expected on that platform and what will make your business look like an expert. Be proud of what you represent as a business, whilst staying aware of the content you create.
DO: Prioritize your networks.
It may be tempting to try new social media platforms, but it’s dangerous for a new business to spread yourself too thin. Focus on the social networks where your consumers are. More than likely, that’s LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, and maybe Twitter. Experiment less with new ones, unless you’re sure about where your best customers spend their time. Increase your time spent enhancing your social media presence. Providing quality content via your big three networks is worth the effort and time, no matter your industry.
DO: Handle criticism gracefully.
The worst way to deal with criticism is to hide from it. Try and respond in the best possible way and be accepting. Don’t become defensive! On social media overreaction to criticism can quickly go viral, especially in a bad way. When the problem has been fixed, let people who cared about it online know.
DO: Have fun!
Social media doesn’t mean you stop have fun with it. Try to shake it up! Try live q&a or live videos and keep your company message conversational and friendly. You will start enjoying this part of your businesses organic marketing, instead of dreading it. With the social media landscape constantly changing, staying aware of the best practices will keep your organic marketing strategy fresh and your impressions/reach will reach your target audience. Don’t forget, have fun and be creative!
That’s all the Do’s for now, lets move on to the Don’ts
DON’T: Be a spammer.
Liking, retweeting, commenting, sharing, and posting is great, but keep everything in moderation. Customers and potential prospects want to like your brand but having something daily can get annoying and then they will start to unfollow. Don’t use the same-promotional message in all images or posts. Try to mix it up by having different captions and videos. We want to leave a good impression and being a spammer will only get your consumers far away from you.
DON’T: #Abuse #Hashtags
Using appropriate hashtags connects your posts to all the other posts on that topic, it’s a convenient way to search content on social media apps like Instagram and Twitter. That said, don’t spam with hashtags, this will decrease your posts from the feed page or explore page. If used correctly, hashtags will increase your visibility and you will gain followers. However, if you use hashtags in excess your post will look spammy and it becomes ineffective as the social media apps have certain algorithms. Don’t use too much otherwise your hashtags will become ineffective.
DON’T: Share without researching first.
Social media networks make sharing super easy from retweeting to screenshotting from another account. It’s simple to overlook that some of the content you consume comes from questionable sources or even bots because there is a constant barrage of content and information coming at you. Be careful what you share – it can become part of your brand.
Conclusion:
As we said, enjoy social media it can be daunting but it’s worthwhile! You will reach a stronger ROI, can new customers, and potentially be one step ahead of your competition.