Mom Was Right: Sandbox Tips for Social Business Interaction by Arionne Nettles
Social media for fun
and social for business are totally
different and honestly, a large number of entrepreneurs don’t realize that. The rules are different and with a new social
media platform popping up seemingly every other day, it can all be overwhelming
to keep up with. But, having a solid
online presence in 2013 (soon to be 2014) generally includes some sort of
social media, regardless of industry.
It’s important to know how to play in the sandbox and the unspoken rules
of engagement.
Whether you’re starting off fresh or have been building your
social presence for a while, think about what your parents taught you when you
were in school. Some of the best, fundamental
lessons still come from there:
Know who you are.
Before you get to typing and posting, what do you want your
online presence to be? What do you
actually want to say to people and what is your purpose for being on here in
the first place? Approach social media
the same as you would any other marketing campaign or project—start with your
message.
With each new business I create (or help someone build) that
requires its own separate social media accounts, I ask myself the following:
·
What is my business or project really about?
·
Who am I targeting and why?
·
What does its voice sound like?
·
In what ways will I be similar to or different
than others in my industry?
·
How exactly will by social media efforts relate
to my overall business goals?
Answer these questions, keep them nearby, and you’ll always
keep that essential connection from the real world to the social realm.
Learn the basics
first.
Remember how you had to learn addition and subtraction
before you could hit the big dogs—multiplication and division? Well, similarly, although there are a million
different social networking sites that you can engage in, get an awesome grasp
on what you’re doing and how you’re going to do it first. For most industries, Twitter is one of the
biggest sources of intelligent conversation, while Facebook has traditionally dominated
the areas of event promotion, images, and video so Twitter and Facebook are often
both great, safe “starter” platforms to help businesses get their feet wet.
There are also platforms that may offer greater benefit for
special industries. If you create
individualized crafts or are a great event planner, Pinterest is definitely for
you. If you’re a musician or in a beauty
field, then making great YouTube videos is your way to go. Know which ones are common and which ones
your competitors are in. Take that
knowledge and focus on those first. You
can always expand to other platforms once your comfort level increases and you
have your routine down.
It was the golden rule that your parents and teachers
probably said to you every day that sometimes slips from our
consciousness. Even when talking to
brands and companies, there are people behind each and every profile. How you
actually interact with other users in the social space dictates your social
etiquette. Although it may be difficult in our busy, busy world, you have to
make an effort to talk to those people, just as you would on the phone or
in-person.
So what does that mean?
It means that you should always respond, be nice, remain positive, and
listen to what others have to say. Be
mindful of syntax, word choice, and even what punctuation you use. Refrain from sarcasm or anything that may be
read wrong, as well as anything that could possibly be misconstrued as
offensive. In every post and in every
circumstance, make sure that you’re covered.
You are the company
you keep.
Going back to the sandbox, make sure you choose your social
media friends wisely. Stay away from
people that are troublemakers and that start problems. When interaction is necessary with them,
remember who you are and what your brand represents and act accordingly.
Yes, I know, that sounded totally like what your mom used to
say, right? Well, that’s because she was
totally right. Even online, in a place
where there is no physical meeting place, there is still a huge “meeting of the
minds” and you want to be categorized with a certain group. Whether it’s your personal account (which is
still not personal because you are your brand) or your business
account, people are watching you. And
yes, they are judging to see if you are worthy of their connection, or specifically
in the case of customers, their money.
It doesn’t always have to be what you personally post that could
offend someone. What if you like a racy picture
on Instagram that someone else has posted, allowing a potential investor to sees
the update in their news feed think of you differently? Or what if a potential customer is turned off
by the fact that you follow a bunch of people on Twitter that tweet offensive
remarks about other people? Negative
people are like viruses—stay far away.
Nothing is truly ever private on social media so just keep
it positive and build smart circles.
Kapeesh?
It’s not always about
you.
The most important social media lesson of them all: when
creating and sharing content, it’s not about you. Your purpose is to provide information that
your target audience wants to see, not necessarily what you want to just push
out to them. Pushing out info about
yourself and your business that you want to share is great, but they probably
don’t know you very well just yet and what they want to know are things that
can help them.
When people log on to their social accounts each day, they
want free information and if you can position yourself as someone that can
provide it, you’ll win them over before they even really speak to you.
If you’re a beauty salon, you need to be seen as an expert
in beauty. To do that, you need to show
your potential customers some of what you know so in addition to constantly
telling them who you are, help them out and give them free advice. “It’s winter! To avoid extra breakage,
remember to condition more frequently.”
If you’re a new tech company that sells apps, what’s the best way to get
in front of tech lovers? Share new and
pertinent industry news as well as information on how an app can help
businesses grow. Instead of just talking
about yourself, give the gift of education—teach something.
See, some things never
really do change.
Connect with Arionne on Twitter @AriAlyssa and @urbanshakemag
Visit her online at www.arionnealyssa.com, www.urbanshakemagazine.com and like her on Facebook at USM Facebook Page
Visit her online at www.arionnealyssa.com, www.urbanshakemagazine.com and like her on Facebook at USM Facebook Page
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