Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

Most people are familiar with using social media for personal reasons but when it comes to marketing a business via Twitter there are a few unspoken rules you need to know about if you want to avoid a social media disaster.

The comfort and familiarity that most of us feel when using social media can lead to a blurring of the lines between personal and professional when we try to transition to using it for business and this can lead to embarrassing mishaps.

Using social media for business is very different to using it to share family snaps and chat with your friends. Here are a few social media dos and don’ts to help keep you on the right track.

Do:

• Stay true to your values and organisational policies. Compromising your integrity is never a good idea, but when done on social media it becomes visible on a potentially global scale. Your personal values and politics may not be the same as your organisation’s and this is important to keep in mind when you’re posting anything controversial or opinion based.
• Keep your information safe. While you don’t want to limit your privacy settings so you’re completely invisible, it’s still important to be aware of the potential risk if your information falls into the wrong hands. Apply common sense to posting sensitive information and use reasonable security measures to protect your online accounts from being hacked.
• Be open about any affiliations you have. If you’re being paid to promote an organisation or a product make this clear or you could find yourself losing the trust of your followers very quickly.
• Protect your brand. Don’t do anything online that might compromise the integrity of your brand or reputation. Conduct yourself in a polite and professional way online as you would in person when you are representing your business.

Don’t:

• Breach your employer or client’s confidentiality over social media. Make it a policy never to discuss sensitive information online. Disclosing confidential information could lead to a lot of damaged relationships and potentially even legal action.
• Share content that is inappropriate in any way. Remember that content once posted online remains there permanently. A few risqué images that might seem harmless or entertaining now could come back to haunt you in the future when you’re trying to land that prestigious client or impress a potential employer.
• Overstep your boundaries. Talking about subjects you don’t really know anything about or giving advice you’re not qualified to give over social media can get you into a lot of trouble, by damaging your professional credibility and potentially causing legal problems.
• Over share personal information. Keep your business related posts professional and on topic. Too many personal details and anecdotes and your followers may stop taking you seriously.

Social media is a fantastic way to develop relationships and increase your exposure to new audiences, as long as you go about it in a professional manner.

Hopefully these tips will help you avoid a social media mishap so you can reap the benefits of social media marketing for your business and grow your brand’s visibility online in a positive way.

#agencyinfluencer2017 

https://www.nextmarketing.com.au/2015/07/social-media-marketing-dos-and-donts-of-social-media/

Jo Macdermott is a well known thought leader when it comes to all things Marketing. Jo is the Founder of Next Marketing, a well established Marketing Agency based in Melbourne. Jo is looking to connect with Marketing Managers, Entrepreneurs (in funded start ups) and Small and Medium Sized Businesses (with a marketing budget). Need some marketing help? With a commercial bent? Get in touch with Jo here