Are you public enemy #1 for breaking social media rules? Defying the established guidelines set on Twitter, LinkedIn and the other platforms can alienate readers and deter your audience from following and subscribing to your brand. Last week I gave you 4 social media crimes to watch out for; here are 4 more crimes to be aware of.
4 Social Media Crimes
1. Using Hashtags on LinkedIn
The use of hashtags on sites like Google+, Twitter and Instagram can be helpful in tracking trends because those platforms utilize the function. Including a hashtag (#) on LinkedIn, however, serves no purpose. Using the symbol makes your marketing efforts look automated and as if you don’t understand how to use social media.
2. Sharing Content When No One is Around
If you have millions of followers on social media then you are likely to have user interaction with anything you post no matter what time of day it is. For a small business owner, you may only have a handful of followers who live in the same time zone and aren’t up at all hours to see a new update. Use studies and charts to see when the best times to post on social media are and keep track of when fans like or comment on your posts to note when they really see and respond to your content.
3. Too Much Self-Promotion
Yes this is your business account, and yes your followers want to hear exciting news about your company, but that can’t be all your account is about. At Three Girls we like to use the 80/20 rule. The majority (80%) of your posts should be content that can benefit your followers or is something interesting related to your industry, while the remaining 20% of posts are where you can flaunt updates about an award or exciting office news.
4. Forgetting to Respond to People Personally
Responding to comments is where social media becomes social. Sometimes people who like or comment on your page just want to let you know they love your company or product, while others may use this platform to bring up a problem they are having with your business. Both types of comments are important and shouldn’t be ignored. By responding with “Thanks! We’re so happy you like our product!” or even re-tweeting a comment, it will build a relationship with that customer. Handling a negative comment is slightly more delicate, but can be done effectively with courtesy and by finding a way to work with the customer. Handling negative comments in a positive way will also show that you care about customers’ feedback and concerns.
Using these 4 tips to avoid committing social media crimes is a great way to show existing and potential customers that you are involved with your accounts and care about what you are posting. Are there any other social media crimes that drive you crazy? Share with us in the comments below!
Photo Credit: Giornalettismo
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