Everybody knows that social media is all of the craze. I’m actually a steering committee member of the Social Media Club of Southwest Florida. Needless to say, social media is so mainstream that businesses are wading in unchartered waters to market there. That’s a great thing, well, assuming the business knows how to market there.
Here are some great tips that I’ve learned over the years. Not all of them are original, actually I’m pretty sure that someone has probably written about them at some point. The reality behind these tips is the fact that I want to help local business owners survive and thrive with this ever changing market.
Most business owners go into social media to get more business. That’s a great strategy, but it’s a long term one. If you simply go on Facebook and Twitter to tell everyone about your business or opportunity, no one will listen. One of the best speakers on the topic that I have seen live is Perry Belcher. He talks about Social Media like it’s a party. Think about this. If you’re going to a networking event, you would never want to be the person that goes straight up to someone and throws your card in their face and tells them to buy from you now! What would you do if someone did that to you? I’m pretty sure you would either ignore them, tell them to leave, or stop being acquaintances with them. OR ALL OF THE ABOVE.
You see people go on Facebook and Twitter because it’s a way to connect with other people…not businesses.
Social Media Etiquette Mistake #1 – Creating a personal Facebook Profile for your business
People don’t become “friends” with businesses! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been requested by a local club, restaurant, heck even lawn mowing company to become their friend. I am not friends with your company. Deal with it. I may be friends with the owner, but not the company. That’s a big fat invitation that says, be my friend so I can market to you. Not cool
Instead, set up a Fan page for your business in Facebook. It only takes a couple of minutes to set up and there is no limit to the number of fans that you can have. With a personal profile, your limit is 5,000.
Social Media Etiquette Mistake #2 – Fake or bad profile picture
More important than even your bio, your profile picture in Social Media is how others judge if they want to follow you or be your friend. I wish it wasn’t this way, but in social media, people completely judge a book by its cover. I’ve seen many people put up pictures of celebrities, pictures of their business logo, or just a terrible picture of themselves. This can cause you to lose many connections that you could have had.
Put in a good picture of your smiling or at least doing something really cool. You want people to feel welcomed when they look at your profile picture.
Social Media Etiquette Mistake #3 – Requesting to be everyone’s friend or follow as many people as possible
If you’re using social media in hopes that you will increase your business from usage, you need to have a good plan about who you want in your social circle. This is the perfect opportunity to speak to your target market. I’ve seen some people in Twitter go on and follow 2,001 people in their first couple days. This is the maximum allowance from Twitter. This looks really bad on the user, because people know that you went out and just followed as many people as possible in hopes that some would follow you back. You should go out, however, and follow people with similar interests, especially those who live in your geographical area. You can go to http://www.twellow.com to search in your local area.
It’s also a good idea to follow people who have a significant amount of followers to see how they interact with their followers. Obviously, they are doing something right to have that many followers. The more captivated followers you have, the great your influence in the social media world.
Let me know with your comments some of the biggest social media mistakes that you have seen in your experiences.
4 Users Responded in " Social Media Etiquette for Business Results "
Brad, thanks for laying out these basic points. Just following these 3 commandments will help social media users get the most out of their interactions. As I have written in my own blog, the new media is what we make it. With your help, we can make it a nice place to build relationships, have fun, and get some leads in an organic fashion.
Brad, your advice is always applicable and helpful. Many times making one little mistake online can have huge consequences. Thanks for all you do. – Dr Rob
You are very welcome. I’m happy to do what I do and help so many people with the local business marketing!
Facebook mistake-
Sending those casino tokens and farm animals to your friends! This is just as bad as forwarding jokes, political rants, and those ridiculous friendship-gratitude e mails that say you should also reply to the sender if you like/love them!
Fortunately, I have only one client who sends me forwards and just two friends who send those game token invites on Facebook.
This costs us our most precious commodity, time.
Brian Tracy asked a great question as he often does, “What is your EVE ratio?” Entertainment Vs. Education?
Then the late great Jim Rohn explained “Formal education can make you a living, self education will make you a fortune!
My future and my descendants futures cannot afford to read those e mails and play shallow games!
I am dead set, and passionately focused to win the game of life, to exiting the “Rat Race” and making a significant contribution society.
Thank you Brad for your passion for constant and never ending improvement, optimism, and entrepreneurial spirit. You are an inspiration for me!
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