Social media and its marketing are very important, and how you execute can mean the difference between fair and great results. We all try to formulate best practices.
A recent article by Ashley Zeckman, 20 Social Media Marketing Do’s and Don’ts sparked some thoughts on my end of what we need to do and avoid in the world of social media.
Here are my thoughts and I would love to hear what you would add to the lists:
DO’S
- Interaction – Take the time to comment and interact. If you’re always trying to sell, sell, sell, it becomes hard to have a two-way conversation.
- Re-purpose content – If you have different audiences, slant the message to each one. Also use content on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to drive traffic to your blog.
- Take advantage of SEO – Make sure what you do is searchable so it can be optimized.
- Have one voice – Someone has to be responsible both in delivering the message, but also in responding to comments.
- Test and measure – Make sure you have the tools in place to see what’s working best for you and your audience.
DON’TS
- Don’t ignore people – Especially negative comments. There’s nothing wrong with disagreeing, but do so in a polite way.
- Don’t use automated responses – It defeats the purpose of trying to start a meaningful dialog. When was the last time you tried to have a conversation with a robot?
- Don’t overcommit – Yes, you’ll find numerous accounts or groups that you should be in. If you can’t commit to utilizing a platform on a regular basis, what’s the point? More is not better.
- It’s not about you – Instead of telling them how great you are, ask them how you might help them solve a problem.
- What are you doing with all these relationships – You’ve spent lots of time and effort to engage prospects. What’s the plan to take it to the next level?
Let’s hear your ideas.
