One of the greatest things about social media is that it is out there for everyone to see…
One of the scariest things about social media is that it is also out there for everyone to see.
The use of business social media is used for a handful of different reasons. From marketing to consumer relations to SEO, and at the end of the day, it won’t even matter if you are losing credibility by making mistakes that can easily be avoided.
Here are five tips to pay attention to as you engage more in social media this year that will help to avoid mistakes that may hurt your brand image.
Spelling and Grammar
One of the newest tools computers have these days is this thing called “spell check.” It can be really helpful when there is a big word you might miss a letter or two in when writing it out. Seriously, don’t get lazy when it comes to spelling, run spell check, and always reread everything you put online. Still, use your free online dictionary to always double-check the spelling and the meaning of your principles/principals or effects/ effects. Do not lose credibility on a word that your child could spell correctly.
“Social Rules”
There are what should be called different “social rules” when it comes to businesses using social media. Posts, tweets, and shares should always keep your audience engaged with your message. Avoid statements and opinions that are impossible to stir up conversation or attention from your followers.
- Example: “New blog post is up.”
- Changed to: “Hey everyone, we added a new blog post. Check it out and let us know what you think.
Always try to build conversations with your followers, and make them feel involved with what your business is doing.
Keep it Relevant
Unless you are in the business of breeding and training dogs, your business Facebook page could live without the YouTube video of the cute puppies. Keep your social media professional and relevant and avoid losing followers who might be annoyed by the “junk” that appears in their live feed.
Remember, just because you cheer for a certain team or might be voting for a certain Presidential candidate, doesn’t mean your followers are. Avoid sports, politics, and religious posts on your business sites, unless your business is sports, politics, or religion in which case post away.
Check once, check twice, check a third time
This can be tied to keeping it relevant but deserves its own section due to the problems it can cause if not avoided. Make sure and always check to see if you are logged into your business account or your personal account before posting anything. As you are posting double-check again, and after you post it, you got it, check again. The last thing you want to do is slip up because you’re not paying attention and inform all your business followers that you had the craziest dream about Lady GaGa. Has funny or crazy as your friends might find that, your business following probably won’t care.
A Red Cross employee forgot which account he was logged in to, and told the millions of Red Cross followers that he was so wasted last night and didn’t remember a thing that happened…Oops.
Stay Updated
A social media site that hasn’t been posted on in the last month says only one thing, “we don’t care.” Your followers choose to follow you for a reason. They want to know what’s going on and stay updated with the goods and services your business has to offer. We live in a world where yesterday’s news means nothing. We demand the most up to date and relevant news, and when we don’t get it from one source, we find it somewhere else. Let your followers know that you are thinking of them and share information that they would be interested in.
