Jump from your seat to record a video of the symphony.
Grab someone else’s food from the work fridge and eat it. On purpose.
Use a speaker phone when talking on the bus, train, or plane.
RSVP response for an event, then don’t show it.
There’s a way to (and don’t) behave for almost everything.
Same for your social media protocol.
Act badly, look bad, perform badly. A small social shift can result in many big hits for your brand.
Are you a little weird in real life? I can’t help you there. But I can help with these 14 social media etiquette tips. Thus, you will be valued, respected and welcomed on your social media accounts.
Get ready, set, act.
1. Read the room
Saying the right things at the right time makes the difference.
Giving your (strong) opinion on immigration to your new boss on day one is not a good move.
Be thoughtful about your social media etiquette.
What you want is grace, eloquence and good speech. Your brand should be a good conversation partner. Of course – apply humor, wit, and personality as well (thoughtfully).
Here are a few tips for being social, socializing, and staying social on social media:
- Research your audience
- Determine the best time to post
- Use the correct image sizes
- Use the right words and phrases too
In other words, listen before you speak. So you will look like a polished professional. And to learn more about your audience.
Otherwise, you will have to switch to ‘save face’ mode. But you can’t – it’s too late.
2. Unload the boat
Not exactly. But at least when communicating directly with your target audience.
Social media automation is good. But come on now, not talking to real people.
Just. Say. “Number”.
“No” to automated Twitter DMs, private Facebook messages and Instagram comments.
People will smell you. They will no longer be related to your brand. And possibly hit the ‘follow’ button. Or worse, report your brand as spam.
Remember, quality over quantity. Be human, not robotic. Even when scheduling mass messages on your social networks.
3. Respond quickly to people
Fifty-three percent of those who ask a question to a company on Twitter expect a response within an hour. for complaintthat number rises to your 72 percent.
So answer people. Rapidly.
Are you saying too busy? I say delegate.
You can send messages to team members. So you will appear present, responsive and human.
Think about the last time you left a message. Then… the crickets. Your message was not heard, not read, absolutely ignored.
Awful, huh?
Don’t do this to your fans and followers.
Don’t ignore a negative review either (I know, bossy, right?).
This can lead to bad PR. The best way to reverse a digital pout is to ‘fix it’ immediately. Something is going on, so what? Now it’s your turn to show what you and your brand are really made of.
Was it really a bad message? Maybe they’re social media trolls. Well, here’s how to identify and handle them.
4. Be kind to your peers no matter what
Joking around with competing brands on social media can be fun and rewarding. People watching can get a kick out of this. And see how you move on with others in your space.
But not if it gets ugly.
You are wasting your precious time. You have sufficient knowledge of your awareness (and likeability) of creating e-plates for your brand.
You don’t look attractive. By trashing others, you are encouraging people to leave rather than buy.
Now…
or someone calling you out in social?
Then forget everything above and smash them with all your digital power. Roar with war.
Of course not.
Stay balanced, stay well and stay in the dark. Respond respectfully, take the high road so everyone can see how well you behave. Plus, your audience (and theirs) deserves to hear the whole story.
Be professional, respectful and polite. Always. This will get you more fans, more likes and more business.
5. Pay attention to hashtags
Hashtags are great. They help people search and find you and your brand.
#so #long #you #without you #board
They just turn into noise and distraction and make you look #helpless.
Use hashtags sparingly and wisely to make them more meaningful.
Want some inspiration (and tips)? Find out how this business uses a hashtag to attract millions.
6. Don’t mix work and fun
Because it often causes problems.
You spend time, money and effort building your brand on social media, most likely over the years.
Think about the visual trend you’ve reached – a curve that probably lifts up a bit over time.
Now imagine that curve going up instantly. This can happen after sharing something personal or outrageous.
What you build over a long distance can shatter in an instant. Did you do this on purpose or by accident?
A few tips:
- Use a tool to manage your accounts in one place. This keeps everything safe and separate. I use Moyens I/O to create tabs for each social media account. Even more secure, create two Moyens I/O accounts, one for work and one for personal.
- Assign accounts as ‘secure’. You can with Moyens I/O Enterprise. This will prevent accidental posting. Hoostuite will ask you to approve any new post you’ve submitted or planned, giving you another minute to ‘think’.
- Think before you post. You’re busy, I get it. But take an extra breather just to be sure. Much easier than apologizing to your audience and boss.
7. Follow with a purpose
Following anyone and everyone dilutes your brand. And saturate your posts with irrelevant posts. This damages your brand reputation. Again, what you’ve worked hard to achieve over time.
It’s not the number of followers that matters. It can say something about how aware people are of your brand. But context is more important.
Consider this before hitting the ‘watch’ button:
- Can you repost most of what they have to show, say and share?
- Can they do the same for your posts and shares?
- Is he a good ambassador, professional and influencer in your industry?
- And active, not asleep?
In other words, they can help you and you can help them? Yup? Then, of course, click ‘follow’.
8. Give credit
Social media is a recycle bin content.
So, many eyes can see your stuff in a flurry as it spreads like digital wildfire.
And plagiarism (or other lack of credit) can happen too.
No problem, show and share a steady stream of great content. As long as you give rather than take, give credit for it.
- Mention the creator’s handle in a post
- Ask for their permission to share (and get nice points)
- Or share and make it clear that it’s not yours
Otherwise, you will appear greedy and disrespectful.
9. Don’t overshare
Do you or your brand post once, a few times a day?
Seems logical.
What is unreasonable is that you suddenly triple or quadruple that number.
People. To obtain. he peed.
and more likely stop following joyful. And why not? What does it have to do with all of a sudden post-idemic?
Now, if you’re going to change your mail cadence for any reason, let people know. “It starts there. We’ll be posting more than ever to share what we learned at Comic Con this week.”
That was nice. Your followers will think the same.
By the way, how much should you tweet, pin and share per day? According to this piece…
- Facebook: 1 post per day
- Twitter: 15 Tweets a day
- Pinterest: 11 Pins a Day
- Connection: 1 post a day (oops, I do it twice)
- Instagram: 1-2 shipments per day
10. Pay attention to the tone of voice
Bragging, complaining, harsh words, or showing off in high doses grab the attention of readers. For good reason.
If you want to do more than that, it’s better to do it somewhere other than social media.
Write a post, create a video, give a speech. See a psychiatrist. Run for president.
But don’t take it out of your loving, social audience. You will associate your brand negatively.
This much. I don’t need to say more about this. You understand.
11. Follow the golden rule
Treat others the way you want them to behave.
- Do you want to get a loan? Give credit to others.
- Do you want to be treated kindly? Answer politely.
- Want people to share insights, not promotions? Share information, not promotions.
You got the point. Be the person (and brand) you want others to be. Simple, huh? It is so simple that we forget it too often.
12. Build relationships, don’t sell
After ever following someone whamo… Did you get a salesman versus human response?
Wait, I’m not saying that sellers aren’t human. No, no, not at all. That’s not what I meant.
What do I mean…
How did it make you feel when you followed someone for the right reason and then found yourself in that person’s sales funnel?
Not good, is it? did you cheat
Look, someone has already forgotten the golden rule above. Don’t be that person.
13. Follow because you want to follow
Not because you want them.
Don’t follow someone because you want them to follow you.
I am guilty.
Also, avoid asking them.
- you look desperate
- you can’t control others
- not real
Follow, friend, like or pin because you scrape what they say, show or share. Without expecting anything in return.
14. Interested, not interesting
When you try to be interesting, you do it about yourself.
When you show interest, you make it about them.
We all have an edge in speaking or listening. We’re just wired that way. And most people are speech dominant.
Including me.
However, I learned a long time ago that little is learned when the focus is on transmitting information versus receiving information.
And…
It’s the (definitely) best way to connect with others.
We are human, we can apply conscious thought to do and become better. The same goes for social. People will like you more. You will love others more. Guaranteed.
Following these social media etiquette rules is easy with Moyens I/O. From a single dashboard, you can schedule and publish posts, engage with your followers, and track the success of your efforts. Try it for free.
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