So much is said about Social Media nowadays… ‘do this’, ‘do that’, blah, blah, blah, that I thought it would be useful to put together a little ‘What NOT to do’ guide.
We know how powerful all these new communication channels are, and we all know how the misuse of them can cause problems. So, to start off, let’s just think of social media as being SOCIAL. A sociable person would likely be described as personable, honest and entertaining, so bear in mind that these same principles apply when interacting with your social media peeps. Think about how you would react in person when meeting a customer or someone you would like to impress.
You want users to trust and be entertained by you and your company or product so then they take it upon themselves to do the rest of the buzz work for you. So check out below what NOT to do and then go for it!
1. Don’t be dishonest
Most of us don’t like to see dishonesty. We fight against it and we probably won’t trust someone that has been dishonest in the past. So, in social media terms, if you receive a negative review or comment, reply back as soon as you can – but don’t go finding excuses, just be honest. Apologise for any inconvenience caused, give your customer an explanation and always offer a solution. Remember: if you are quick to solve the problem, it’s more likely that the person will recommend you instead of saying negative things about you. Things sometimes do go wrong no matter how hard we try, what counts is how we deal with a ‘not ideal’ situation. If you act quickly, all the other platform users will be able to see that you care about your customers and that you don’t shy away from your responsibility when things don’t go according to plan.
2. Don’t lose the momentum
Remember the saying: “if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? Well, this is a very wise one and it applies nicely to social media. People that follow you on social media are already interested in you at some level, so keep the momentum. Don’t bombard them with rubbish posts and definitely don’t spam their walls or feeds. Find something useful, interesting, informative or entertaining to say, or just be quiet (but don’t be quiet for too long). If you are not too sure of what you can share, have a look around… what are other people in the same industry saying? How are they attracting attention? Get ideas from your surroundings, from your office, from what people are talking about on the net. Give it some thought before just posting something for the sake of it. People just know when you do that.
3. Don’t skip the plan
Some businesses think that to get into social media all you have to do is sign up and away you go. Ermm, not quite. As with every marketing activity, your social media will require a plan that you can follow and that will tie in with your business objectives. You have to establish through some research and planning where exactly social media fits in with your plans and how it’ll be best used to promote your business. Don’t just sign up and tweet away, plan ahead and your chances of success are much higher.
4. Don’t ignore your social community
On social media platforms, interaction goes a long way. So thank people for following you, retweeting, sharing your content and ‘liking’ you. Offer help when you know something they don’t and do share a bit of your personal side. As mentioned before, this is a community and you should be as social as you’d be in person. Show a bit of your personality (always tied in with your brand message, of course) and you’ll find that people will be all the more interested. Be genuine, but always remember this golden rule: if you wouldn’t say it in front of people who are valuable in your business (like a key client, for example), keep it off the social media sites.
5. Don’t think of social media as the big solution for your problems
Social media is great, yes, we all know that. But you shouldn’t think that this is the only thing you should do when trying to promote your brand. As with any marketing initiative, it will definitely work better if combined with other efforts. To keep your social community interested, you have to encourage creativity in all parts of your business—product/service enhancements, new products, new ways to provide a service, new markets… and then use social media to promote all that is fresh and exciting about what you offer.
6. Don’t think you need to be in everything
There are so many social media platforms out there nowadays that some people just sign up for them all and then end up with many dormant accounts. Can you imagine a bigger disappointment for a client or prospect than clicking on a social media icon on your website and then realising that your last update happened 3 months ago? Exactly. You have to decide what it is that you want to get from your social media presence (refer to the rule about planning) and then when you are clear of what you want to achieve, select the platforms that best accommodate your needs.
Now you’ve read my little list of ‘DON’Ts’, just remember one last thing: users of social media want to interact with people. Remember that they all have their own interests and preferences, so treat them as you would like to be treated and you’re on the right way to social media success.
Marilia Spindler is an Account Executive at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
