The use of social media is versatile. You can use it to connect with friends, perk up your professional profile and stay in the loop. If truth be told, a lot of people are even using social media to promote their business. But then again, who wouldn’t? Everybody’s using the internet, connected via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more. However, too much social media can also be bad for you and your business, like anything that is done in excess. It can affect your brand and even your revenues. Contrary to what you may think, there is an unwritten code for social media etiquette. Here are some of the basics:
1. Facebook Status Updates
A status update can be a line, a phrase, or a shared link that establishes your take on an issue that is relevant to your business. If you are into online reputation management for a financial services corporate client, you can post status updates regarding the economy, personal financial management and business. However, do limit our posts to one or two updates a day. Overexposure in social media might not do your business a lot of good. Keep your page updated but make sure that everything is balanced.
2. You and your Tweets
People generally get Twitter updates through their phones. That said, posting a tweet should be made during regular hours. Do not tweet your followers in the wee hours of the morning. Some people keep their phones with them while they are asleep. If you interfere as they are resting, they might get irritated and end up not patronizing your business at all.
3. Posting of Photos
Positing photos is a relatively good practice in social media. It keeps people interested and keeps their page from looking boring and uneventful. But remember, there is etiquette involved in posting photos. For instance, selling a disinfecting solution through a legitimate business does not give you the license to post irksome photos of dirty tiles or dead insects. It just doesn’t work that way.
4. No to using all Social Media Platforms
Social media is just there so you can use it anytime to suit your needs. Or so you may think, since you can use it to promote your business or popularize an upcoming event. However, there is a limitation to using social media. This means that you are not supposed to use all known forms of social media to get one message across. Stepping on the line and overdoing your promotion is tacky and it more or less affects the way your potential customers will think of your business.
5. Be Cautious when Sharing
Although social media is meant for sharing information, you are not obliged to share every nitty-gritty detail of your business to all the people who can see it. Imagine a scenario where you posted a status update on Facebook about the business that you have just recently opened. In case a friend comments on your status update and asks about your capital or your supplier, have enough sense not to reply or at least, not in public.
6. Perfect Timing
Timing is important, even in publishing your posts and updates on social media. Likewise, if you are commemorating a special day of mourning for a tragic event that has shaken the lives of many, be tactful enough not to post your updates then. This is especially the case if your update is an image that looks very happy and animated. While other means for business communication are there - such as the one pioneered by RingCentral, to name one - social media means something else. Therefore, it requires extra caution. So think twice before clicking or tapping; this is all part of being a responsible user of social media.