More Social Media Etiquette for Small Businesses

More Social Media Etiquette for Small Businesses

Continuing the guide to social media etiquette, it is good to note the following:

Be a Friend to Get a Friend

If you see someone ask a question on Twitter to which you know the answer, send them a reply. Did you write a helpful post on your blog? Ask for feedback from your LinkedIn network. Build connections online in the same way you would in person.

Be transparent

Should you run into an issue that causes a flurry of activity on social media, respond to those you can and don’t become defensive. Above all, don’t delete comments. Work to resolve the issue and, when it is solved, inform those online who cared about it.

Tweeting and #Hashtags

Do not Tweet under the table in meetings and never tweet in sacred situations like weddings and funerals, even if the event does have a hash tag. Be careful with abbreviations that can make the Tweet misunderstood. Hashtags are a good way to help get your tweets and Facebook posts categorised with similar content so when someone searches for that keyword, they find you. This does not mean that you turn every word you post into a hashtag!

You Are What You Share

Don’t share something that you don’t want to be left as a representation of you. Beware of being a social media junkie – with Twitter, you can tweet a half dozen times per day and be fine. With a Facebook Business Page and a LinkedIn profile, once a day should be enough.

Share Without Any Intention of Getting Something in Return

Just because you are doing something on social media, doesn’t mean it matters yet. When you started your business, things were slow at first until you made connections, built up a reputation, and got a handle on things. The same goes for your social media accounts.

Are you on top of your Social Media posts?

Adapted from an article by Travis Balinas, business2community; and Heather Dugan, Huffington Post; and Patricia Rossi, courtesy of Barry Moltz, American Express