As a relative social media newbie who helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses, I am really worried about doing the wrong things online. The other day, a friend had to explain that #FF on a tweet meant that they were praising your work. Who knew! So if you’re like me and you want to understand how not to damage your brand on social media, read the great tips below.
1. Boring posts. A boring post is anything that lacks your unique personality or perspective. Giving a fresh perspective on an old topic or going against the status quo is what gets noticed.
2. Disrespecting others. Social media is not the place to work out your problems with people. But don’t retaliate publicly. Simply delete the negative comment, block the person and then decide if you want to address the issue privately, or just move on.
3. Failing to promote others. When someone gives you a great piece of advice, post it on Facebook or Twitter and tag that person. Or utilize the Endorsements feature on LinkedIn and begin endorsing people within your network.
4. Not replying to comments. Actively monitoring comments and questions on every post can be time-consuming, but even posting one follow-up comment per post can show you care and that you’re engaged.
5. Being tagged in questionable photos. As a business owner, be mindful of how you want to be perceived publicly. Untag or delete yourself from any inappropriate photos.
If you’ve already made some of the above blunders online, don’t worry. Thankfully social media is so fast and furious that your mistakes are pages and pages of posts ago and what counts is your momentum going forward.
The key thing in social media is a nice blend of social and business while keeping it real and personal. I am such a newbie that I didn’t know how to mass invite my LinkedIn contacts to a workshop, plus I didn’t want to invite everyone. So, I personally wrote a different message to each person I invited including what I thought about their website or biz idea. Wow, did I get complimentary comments and great results. Sometimes, it pays to be a novice!
Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk!
Related articles
- How to Drive Sales Through Social Media (news.terra.com)
- 10 Easy-To-Digest Small Business Social Media Tips (amsterdamprinting.com)
- Social Media Marketing: Five Ways to Raise Your Social Media Profile (digitalsurgeons.com)
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