Good social media etiquette for a business comes down to 4 rules: think before you post, never spam your followers, do not badmouth the competition, and answer comments quickly. Follow them, and your accounts win followers instead of losing them.
Social networks such as Facebook and Instagram are used by huge numbers of people every day, on phones and computers alike. For a business, they are a way to reach a larger audience. But they come with their own etiquette, and these are the most important dos and don'ts.
Following these rules helps your company reach more customers and bring more visitors to your website. Ignoring them, on the other hand, can cost you customers and business. That is why they matter if your company uses social media to reach clients.
Think before you post
If one golden rule applies to everything you post on your company's social media accounts, it is this: think before you post. Know what your audience actually finds interesting, helpful, and useful, and make sure each post is engaging and informative for your followers.
The other side of the coin is to make sure that what you post does not offend anyone. Stay away from topics such as politics, race, and other issues that divide people, unless your business or your audience is about exactly that kind of topic. Ask yourself other questions too, such as "Does this have value?", "Are we posting at the best time?", and "Are we using the right pictures?"
Finally, read the post once more before you publish it. Every follower sees a typo in a company post, and the Spell Checker marks spelling and grammar mistakes before they go out.
Never spam your followers
You may want to post something every few minutes, but spamming your followers can make you lose them. Nobody wants posts that often from anyone, let alone from a business. Unless a post is something your followers can really use, they do not want to see it, and certainly not that often, on accounts that many people use to get away from it all.
So space your posts out, and break that rule only when something urgent comes up. If you have more to say, you can also spread your posts across your different social media accounts.
Avoid badmouthing the competition
Always avoid getting into a shouting match with a competitor online. Following your rivals to see what they are up to is smart, but do not post anything negative about them. Staying professional at all times gives your company the upper hand in the eyes of your followers.
If a competitor attacks you on social media, you do need to respond and defend your brand. But mind your manners: take your time and plan your response carefully. Your followers will see you taking the high road. Once they have heard your side of the story, they can decide for themselves whether the competitor's comments have any merit.
For more on what makes a post work, read how to write a wicked social media post.
Respond quickly to comments
One of the most important things to remember on social media is that followers want quick answers to their questions and comments. Answer every message or comment about a service or a product as quickly as you can. If you do not answer promptly, you can lose not only that customer's business, but also your followers.
Make one person on your team responsible for the answers. If your business gets a very high number of comments, set up a system to decide which comments, questions, and messages to answer first. And make sure that the person in charge keeps public relations in mind when replying to negative comments or feedback.
If you follow these dos and don'ts, your company can build a good name on social media, and your number of followers can grow day by day. Social media writing tips for businesses has more advice on the posts themselves.