Social Media Marketing – Etiquette is important…

Social media marketing has more than likely changed the way your business interacts with your customers.

The way you conduct your social conversations and manage your social media marketing channels can reflect on your business, so it’s important to get it right.

As my grandmother used to say, “Manners maketh man” (and woman too for that matter), so it’s important to observe a little protocol around your social media marketing.

This list has five tips that will help you act with decorum at all times.

1. Treat social media more like a telephone and less like a megaphone. Nobody’s impressed with the dude at the party who talks about himself all the time, the same applies to social media marketing. Don’t talk about your business all the time without inviting and responding to comment and opinion it’s about having a conversation.
2. Always give credit where it’s due. Social media marketing is all about sharing the love, but don’t pass content off as your own, if it’s not. You’ll reap greater rewards for crediting the original creator or article. Not only does it help to build trust and credibility, but you’re more likely to tap into a greater audience.
3. Lend a helping hand. Answer questions, solve problems and be an all round jolly nice fellow. I know it sounds simple, (and it is), but all to often I see businesses going for the hard sell. Social media marketing is more about entertaining, informing and practicing the art of “not” selling!
4. Automating is not always appropriate. For me, if there is one practice in social media marketing that is likely to illicit an “unfollow” or “unconnect” above all others, it’s the dastardly automatic direct message that comes from a Twitter or LinkedIn account as soon as you’ve connected. To me it says “You’re not important enough for me to say hello to you personally. So I’m sending out the same old spiel I do to everybody else…” Ouch, thanks for making me feel special!
5. Don’t buy your friends. Sure use a little advertising here and there, run a promotion, but please don’t try to buy your followers. Organic growth of your social media marketing accounts has so much more dignity. At the end of the day it’s always nicer to have friends who want to spend time with you, and that’s why engagement is so much more important. You may enjoy this post, that talks more about engagement.