In our post-pandemic world it’s not longer a question of if a brand or business should or should not be on social media, it’s more so a matter of how you should go about using it. Facilitating communication and commerce without face-to-face interaction has never been more important.  While you develop your approach to social media, keep these nuggets of knowledge in mind. 

 

Thou Shalt Not Broadcast Sales Messages:

Social media isn’t another broadcast medium where you bombard your followers and fans with sales messages every half hour, social media is a conversational medium and no one wants to have a conversation with a narcissistic self promoter. So keep the sales messages to a minimum and when you do send such messages make sure it’s done in a social and tasteful manner. 

 

Thou Shalt Not Have 10 Different Accounts:

I get it, you’ve just seen the light that social media is a great way to interact with current and potential customers so now you wanna cover all your bases and be on EVERY SINGLE social network out there. Slow your roll just a bit cowboy, when it comes to social media FOCUS IS KEY, choose 3 or 4 key social media channels you think your target market spends the most time on and spend your time, money and effort to build a great presence on those instead of spreading yourself thin on more than you need. 

Thou Shalt Not Ignore Customer Complaints:

Remember, social media is about having a conversation with customers, whether about how great you are or an angry customer who just had a bad experience. Respond to negative comments in a positive and professional  manner, you’ll gain cool points for handling these situations publicly. Keep in mind though, you don’t need to respond to EVERY negative comment, the internet is filled with trolls who eat cinnabons all day and get great joy from watching you squirm. 

Thou Shalt Think Before You Post:

So you’ve been tweeting and updating your Facebook page for a while now and you’re feeling nice and relaxed with this social media thingy then suddenly a hilarious fat joke comes to mind…..yea don’t share that. Companies get caught in compromising positions all the time for using humor at the wrong times and in the worst scenarios, so before you tell everyone that hilarious joke, think about who you might offend.

Thou Shalt Share Useful Information:

On social media it’s about sharing valuable content that you think will be helpful to your target audience. So if you own a baby boutique share baby care tips and show fans and followers how to use the stuff you sell to bring value to their babies lives. This constant sharing of value will help build TRUST among your audience. 

Thou Shalt Have A Plan:

As corny as it sounds it’s true, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. When embarking on social media you have to know exactly what you want to get out of you and how you plan on going about getting it. So have goals, objectives and a strategy in place when marketing your brand on social media. 

Thou Shalt Measure Results:

One of the great things about marketing on social media is that you have access to analytics that give you insight into how customers interact with your brand and from this info you can improve upon your strategy. Have a set of key metrics you’ll measure to determine your success every month or so. 

Thou Shalt Pay-It-Forward:

Good fans and followers don’t appear out of thin air! When someone shows you love on social media, return the favor, if a follower retweeted a tweet from you or shares an article or makes a good comment, show them some love by saying thanks or retweeting that compliment. 

Thou Shalt Be Social:

This is SOCIAL media afterall! Join the conversation with fans and followers and listen to their opinions and give feedback where necessary, don’t be afraid to join the conversation and get involved on trending topics and current issues. 

 

Thou Shalt Not Be Inconsistent:

You tweet 50 times today then leave your account dormant for 2 weeks, then you tweet 10 times that day and then you’re back 3 weeks later. This doesn’t sit well with fans or help your brand on social media, put together a content strategy and schedule posts if you have to, commit yourself to updating your social media accounts at least 3-4 times a week so fans will know you haven’t gone out of business and your still active and ready to join the conversation

 

There you have it. A few guidelines you can keep in mind as you sail through the rough seas of social media. If you want to make the step to give your business a great presence on social media send us a message and let’s get the conversation started!