Social Media Best Practices - 16 Tips
1- Be cordial and courteous.
Remember, the aim is to be social.
Treat your virtual pals as you would treat those you have face-to-face contact with.
Don't be sarcastic or a smart aleck in your tweets and posts.
It does come through to the reader.
Also, don't type in all caps.
Not only is it hard to read it comes across as shouting and no one likes being yelled at.
2-Do submit original content.
It's all well and good to share interesting content from others that's worth sharing but ever so often make it a point of duty to put together and share something original.
Not only is it a great way to promote yourself its helps your credibility and if your content is really good, others could potentially see you as a thought leaders or expert.
3- Participate actively.
Don't be shy! Get out there and participate.
Share insightful thoughts and give well-spirited, constructive criticisms.
You see a great post or article, let the submitter know how much you appreciated it.
Comment on blogs, post to forums, submit articles to ezines, produce compelling videos and have fun while doing it all.
4- Be you.
Let others see your personality.
This gives others a reason to follow you.
5- Do limit the number of forums, board, groups and other social media groups you get involved in.
It makes no sense getting involved in too many groups if you can't actively participate and have your presence felt.
Perhaps it may make sense to just start with groups that are specific to your niche or where you target audience may be found.
6- Do consider what you post or share.
You don't want to look silly by posting about what you had for dinner or things that don't really build a meaningful conversation.
Make your time and efforts count for something by sharing stuff that's worth sharing.
Social media is all about sharing, connecting and engagement.
Use it pass on information that matters.
7- Do inspire and encourage others.
Make someone feel happy for joining your circle, share something that encourages and lift someone's spirits, give a freebie to your friends or followers.
It doesn't have to be anything fancy.
It could be a PDF guide on some burning topic.
Get creative and use your imagination.
8- Do use social media to share your expertise and skills with others.
Say one of your Twitter pals asks a question on a topic you are knowledgeable in, jump in and share your answers.
This builds engagement and conversation.
Remember, social media is all about being social.
9- Do check your spelling and grammar.
You don't want to look like you are careless or not so sharp.
Take the time to read what you are submitting.
10- Do maximize your reach.
Submit your blogs, articles, videos and other content to various channels and directories out there.
If you are not sure where to submit, do a search on the internet or ask your followers or friends where are the best places to submit various content.
A surefire way to get a conversation started! 11- Do repurpose your content.
Don't let that great blog entry on the 10 ways to reach client using social media sit on your blogsite.
Repurpose it into a tips list and send out a tip a day to new subscribers to your newsletter, or share some of the salient points raised in the post in a You Tube video or a podcast.
12- Do address negative comments or criticisms about your product, service or brand.
Online reputation management is a big thing in social media.
Don't let negativity go unaddressed and be sure to remember others are looking on, so do it in a professional, non-confrontational way that will earn you the respect and admiration of others.
13- Do set boundaries.
It is imperative that you strike a balance between official and personal networking.
Because social media exists on the premise of sharing it is used for both personal and business purposes.
Just remember to set a barrier between personal and professional use.
When sharing for business purposes your tweets, chats or posts should not cross those lines as it can project an unprofessional image.
It may be worth considering separating your personal and business account if you think you may have a hard time setting that line of demarcation.
14- Do project yourself as an expert or thought leader.
Let others see that you are knowledgeable and they will seek you out for your nuggets or wisdom and advice.
15- Do integrate search engine marketing into your overall social media marketing plan.
Submitting great content and participating actively is all well and good but if you can't be found in the search engines it would be like firing a shot in the dark.
The potential of missing the target is great and you want your target audience to be able to find you.
16- Do have fun! Remember, social media is all about being social.
Don't tweet, participate on Facebook or engage in social media just because of the business potential.
Have fun with it!
Remember, the aim is to be social.
Treat your virtual pals as you would treat those you have face-to-face contact with.
Don't be sarcastic or a smart aleck in your tweets and posts.
It does come through to the reader.
Also, don't type in all caps.
Not only is it hard to read it comes across as shouting and no one likes being yelled at.
2-Do submit original content.
It's all well and good to share interesting content from others that's worth sharing but ever so often make it a point of duty to put together and share something original.
Not only is it a great way to promote yourself its helps your credibility and if your content is really good, others could potentially see you as a thought leaders or expert.
3- Participate actively.
Don't be shy! Get out there and participate.
Share insightful thoughts and give well-spirited, constructive criticisms.
You see a great post or article, let the submitter know how much you appreciated it.
Comment on blogs, post to forums, submit articles to ezines, produce compelling videos and have fun while doing it all.
4- Be you.
Let others see your personality.
This gives others a reason to follow you.
5- Do limit the number of forums, board, groups and other social media groups you get involved in.
It makes no sense getting involved in too many groups if you can't actively participate and have your presence felt.
Perhaps it may make sense to just start with groups that are specific to your niche or where you target audience may be found.
6- Do consider what you post or share.
You don't want to look silly by posting about what you had for dinner or things that don't really build a meaningful conversation.
Make your time and efforts count for something by sharing stuff that's worth sharing.
Social media is all about sharing, connecting and engagement.
Use it pass on information that matters.
7- Do inspire and encourage others.
Make someone feel happy for joining your circle, share something that encourages and lift someone's spirits, give a freebie to your friends or followers.
It doesn't have to be anything fancy.
It could be a PDF guide on some burning topic.
Get creative and use your imagination.
8- Do use social media to share your expertise and skills with others.
Say one of your Twitter pals asks a question on a topic you are knowledgeable in, jump in and share your answers.
This builds engagement and conversation.
Remember, social media is all about being social.
9- Do check your spelling and grammar.
You don't want to look like you are careless or not so sharp.
Take the time to read what you are submitting.
10- Do maximize your reach.
Submit your blogs, articles, videos and other content to various channels and directories out there.
If you are not sure where to submit, do a search on the internet or ask your followers or friends where are the best places to submit various content.
A surefire way to get a conversation started! 11- Do repurpose your content.
Don't let that great blog entry on the 10 ways to reach client using social media sit on your blogsite.
Repurpose it into a tips list and send out a tip a day to new subscribers to your newsletter, or share some of the salient points raised in the post in a You Tube video or a podcast.
12- Do address negative comments or criticisms about your product, service or brand.
Online reputation management is a big thing in social media.
Don't let negativity go unaddressed and be sure to remember others are looking on, so do it in a professional, non-confrontational way that will earn you the respect and admiration of others.
13- Do set boundaries.
It is imperative that you strike a balance between official and personal networking.
Because social media exists on the premise of sharing it is used for both personal and business purposes.
Just remember to set a barrier between personal and professional use.
When sharing for business purposes your tweets, chats or posts should not cross those lines as it can project an unprofessional image.
It may be worth considering separating your personal and business account if you think you may have a hard time setting that line of demarcation.
14- Do project yourself as an expert or thought leader.
Let others see that you are knowledgeable and they will seek you out for your nuggets or wisdom and advice.
15- Do integrate search engine marketing into your overall social media marketing plan.
Submitting great content and participating actively is all well and good but if you can't be found in the search engines it would be like firing a shot in the dark.
The potential of missing the target is great and you want your target audience to be able to find you.
16- Do have fun! Remember, social media is all about being social.
Don't tweet, participate on Facebook or engage in social media just because of the business potential.
Have fun with it!
