The trend of social media usage has steadily inclined since the early 2000’s, making it a considerable marketing investment for small businesses. On average, Americans spend over 2 hours each day on social media alone. That’s over a consecutive month’s worth of likes, double-taps, and retweets in a year’s time. According to the Search Engine Journal, over 32% of US consumers use social media exclusively to research products, services, offers, and coupons. These statistics prove that your potential customers are actively using social media and want to find your brand. As a business owner, it’s important that you are sending the right message to achieve the highest conversion with your company’s social media campaign efforts.
Here are some common social media etiquette standards every business should adopt.
SOCIAL MEDIA DO’S
CATER TO YOUR CUSTOMER.
In all honesty, your consumers want to know what YOU can do for THEM. Tailor your social media pages with the customer in mind over your own personal interests.
BE CONSISTENT.
Consumers are more likely to do business with someone they like and trust. Having consistency and reliability with your social presence and variation of posts can help build a trustworthy, lasting relationship with your current and future customers.
SHOW INSTEAD OF TELL.
Actions speak louder than words. Using engaging photos and videos will add a visual boost to your post’s potential and increase the likelihood of engagement from your followers.
POST VALUABLE CONTENT.
Social sharing can backfire if the content you are using is not in the interests of your audience. If the goal is to turn potential customers into paying clients, you have to show them that what you have to say is worth viewing.
BE PERSONABLE.
Having a unified “voice” is important to carve out the brand that will continue to build a trustworthy relationship with followers. Being on the level of the consumer will make them more likely to want to interact with your business.
INTERACT WITH FOLLOWERS.
When users are engaging in conversation with your brand, don’t forget to reward them with your time and respond to their mentions. You’ll be shocked at the difference that it makes when a customer feels like their voice matters to your company.
SOCIAL MEDIA DON’TS
DON’T IGNORE NEGATIVE COMMENTS OR REVIEWS.
Address the issues of your followers and customers quickly and professionally. Not only can it help resolve problems and maintain the relationships of those individuals, but future clients will know that your company will stop at nothing to provide the highest customer service.
DON’T TRY TO PLEASE EVERYONE.
You’ll spread your company too thin trying to gain the attention of every possible consumer. Stick to focusing efforts on your target demographic, which will give you a much higher return in the long run.
DON’T BE NEGATIVE.
Being a Negative Nancy isn’t the best way to win a popularity contest. Keeping your social media posts light and positive will benefit your professional image and impression with others.
DON’T TALK ABOUT CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS.
Your job as a business is to provide services and products to benefit the consumer. Sensitivity to controversial issues is absolutely critical with your company’s social media presence. Offending your audience causes your influence on them to tarnish.
DON’T SPAM.
Coming off as spammy is not well received and could cost you the business of potential clients you’ve worked so hard to gain. Consider hiring a social media expert to help if you struggle with finding thought provoking content to share.
DON’T SOLELY RELY ON AUTOMATION.
People want to feel like they are talking with a human. You risk losing the personal-touch experience between your brand and customers if you over-utilize automation to interact with them.
With a sound strategy, social media can be a powerful ally in your business’s digital marketing campaign. Use them to your advantage, and don’t be scared to be the conversation!
