As most companies today know, having a strong social media presence is an important part of controlling their brand's reputation and their ability to reach their customers on a more personal level. However, just having a social media presence isn't enough; there is such a thing as poor social media outreach. There is in fact a right way and a wrong way to go about your social media efforts. If you want to make the best of your social media efforts, there are a few tips to keep in mind when it comes to handling your social media accounts.
The Do's
Do promote the work of others.
Do share you knowledge on your specific field and establish yourself as an expert.
Do respond to people's questions when they ask them and say thank you when people leave you a compliment.
Do be real and authentic.
Do experiment with new ideas. Do not be afraid to post new things and keep your content fresh.
Do try to respond to every message, if you are able.
Do ask questions of your followers and encourage them to create a dialogue online.
Do connect your social media accounts to other objectives.
Do try to develop a loyal following while building a strong reputation.
Do create your own hashtags to create a more diverse profile.
The Don'ts
Don't make most of your posts about yourself. Make them about your company and your role within that company.
Don't just promote yourself, you should be willing to promote others as well. Too much self-promotion can be unflattering.
Don't mix your personal opinions into your social media posts, where they are not welcome. If you are a local baker, don't spend your time posting about your political views.
Don't engage in arguments over social media. Don't pick fights.
Don't use social media to brag about your lavish lifestyle.
Don't invite people to like every event or post that you create.
Don't use harsh or offensive language or post inappropriate pictures, even if you think your followers will like it.
Don't ignore your followers.
Don't try to be a celebrity, shock people or only create viral videos, your followers will see through this type of charade.
Don't overdo it. You do not need to be on every single type of social media platform, a few strong profiles are more than enough.
Keep these "do's" and "don'ts" of social media in mind as you start to create your profiles and develop a strong following of supporters. The right social media presence can do a great deal in terms of establishing yourself as a brand and a trusted source within your market. However, the wrong social media outreach efforts can do the opposite and start to discredit you and all you have worked for. Remember the importance of how you present yourself online whenever you make a post on social media, you never know the impact a single photo or tweet can have on your reputation.