Social media etiquette is just a digital version of traditional etiquette. The same considerations should be given through social media, as you would when networking and interacting with people offline.
The reasons etiquette can get scrambled or forgotten, is that we often forget there are real, living and breathing people, on the other side of the computer screen.
Even if you can’t view their immediate reactions to your postings, through the form of facial expressions or an immediate verbal response, your fans and Sell digital products followers will remember what you post, and they will quickly form an impression of you and your business from your profiles.
Social media for business is a powerful tool, but for it to work well, you need to understand the platform, the people you are interacting with, and employ good etiquette.
Here are some tips, to get you started in the social space, while maintaining good etiquette standards:
Get to know your fans and followers
Treat your fans and followers as real people. Show them respect and respond to them in the same way you would if you were meeting them for the first time at a business breakfast or dinner party. You may not get along with all of them, like best friends, but each person in your social network can contribute to growing your business in a unique way.
It is your job to get to know them as real people. Ask questions. Interact. Find out where they work, what their new projects are, and what keeps them excited.
Once you get involved in this new marketing medium, you’ll soon learn how powerful a few comments on a Facebook status can be. Use them to your advantage, to grow your relationships and your business.
Realise that direct marketing can be considered spam
Many sales people feel comfortable with the direct marketing approach. Depending on their own career and business background, this may be the area of sales that has shown them the most success.
Even business owners, who have no experience with marketing at all, may cling to the concept of a direct and pushy approach, because they believe it is the right thing to do. Also, they may feel like they are putting the most productive energy into their business, when employing this approach.
The problem is, that social media for business works differently. Social media etiquette, and the pathway to growing your business through online connections, relies on the ability to form genuine and authentic relationships with people – not shove your brand or product at them through forty posts a day.
Monitor your language
Language is a diverse topic. In social media for business, it includes your choice of words, your use of correct spelling, the frequency and purpose of your message, and also the relevancy. When you develop a brand, language should be part of this development process.
Many businesses and organisations are creating social media policies, and the choice of language used, in sync with their corporate image, is a key component of these policies.
The problem with social media, is that it is instant, and often one designated person is responsible for all the postings and interactions, on behalf of the entire company.
This person needs to deeply understand and have the ability to communicate the ‘voice’ of your brand, including appropriate humour, professional wording, and in-depth knowledge of your products and services.