Small Business Tips For Using Social Media As A Business Tool
Many small businesses today are using Social Media to promote their products and services.
This can be a great tool but it also has some traps that you need to avoid.
Be careful what you post.
You don't want to alienate your potential customers by posting your thoughts on politics, religion or other topics that are sensitive to a specific group of people.
Think of interacting on Facebook the same way you would interact with a stranger at a party.
If what you are about to post is not something you would say to this person, then don't use it in your newsfeed.
Ask yourself "Is this something I would share with one of my customers?" Be careful what photos you are sharing.
Facebook is popular for its ability to share photos.
Be careful what photos you share from your vacation or a social event.
Also, don't tag someone in a photo without their permission.
Be especially careful with photos when alcohol is involved.
It is easy to forget that when you post a photo to someone's personal profile - it is public to all of their friends.
Ask yourself, "would I want someone to post this about me?" Double check your updates before you click on "Share.
" It is easy to misunderstand or misinterpret what someone says online.
When you use non-verbal communication, you are stripping 80% of the non-verbal communication from the post.
This will increase the likelihood that you will be misunderstood.
Keep these simple rules in mind:
Once you have connected with someone, if they are making you feel uncomfortable with what they are posting, break the connection.
You are who you associate with and this holds true on Facebook and in real life.
If you are uncomfortable with breaking the relationship, send them a private message explaining why what they are doing or saying is making you feel this way.
They may be totally unaware that what they are doing is offensive.
Use social media to post business events not personal.
Social media is a great way to get the word out about a business event and spread the word.
However, intimate events such as dinner parties should be kept off social media.
This is not the place to invite people to a baby shower or wedding.
I recently had a business friend who invited me to an event at her home via Facebook.
She caused quite a stir and hurt a lot of people when they were not invited to the event.
So if it is not a public event, keep it off social media sites.
This can be a great tool but it also has some traps that you need to avoid.
Be careful what you post.
You don't want to alienate your potential customers by posting your thoughts on politics, religion or other topics that are sensitive to a specific group of people.
Think of interacting on Facebook the same way you would interact with a stranger at a party.
If what you are about to post is not something you would say to this person, then don't use it in your newsfeed.
Ask yourself "Is this something I would share with one of my customers?" Be careful what photos you are sharing.
Facebook is popular for its ability to share photos.
Be careful what photos you share from your vacation or a social event.
Also, don't tag someone in a photo without their permission.
Be especially careful with photos when alcohol is involved.
It is easy to forget that when you post a photo to someone's personal profile - it is public to all of their friends.
Ask yourself, "would I want someone to post this about me?" Double check your updates before you click on "Share.
" It is easy to misunderstand or misinterpret what someone says online.
When you use non-verbal communication, you are stripping 80% of the non-verbal communication from the post.
This will increase the likelihood that you will be misunderstood.
Keep these simple rules in mind:
- Unless you can to highlight something, don't use capital letters.
This is considered yelling at someone. - Remember that spelling is important.
Many social media sites don't have spell check ability.
You may want to create your post in a word processor and then copy and paste it into our newsfeed.
Always double check the spelling of someone's name if used in your post.
On this note, it is considered rude to point out someone else's misspelled words.
Remember this is a public forum and no one wants to look like they don't know what they are doing.
Once you have connected with someone, if they are making you feel uncomfortable with what they are posting, break the connection.
You are who you associate with and this holds true on Facebook and in real life.
If you are uncomfortable with breaking the relationship, send them a private message explaining why what they are doing or saying is making you feel this way.
They may be totally unaware that what they are doing is offensive.
Use social media to post business events not personal.
Social media is a great way to get the word out about a business event and spread the word.
However, intimate events such as dinner parties should be kept off social media.
This is not the place to invite people to a baby shower or wedding.
I recently had a business friend who invited me to an event at her home via Facebook.
She caused quite a stir and hurt a lot of people when they were not invited to the event.
So if it is not a public event, keep it off social media sites.
