The Do's and Don't to Keeping it Real on Social Media

The Do's and Don't to Keeping it Real on Social Media

I know I post quite a lot on Social Media, but it's one of my strong points. I have been using Social Media sites since the early days of Facebook. And in that time we've seen more Social Media sites come up that have been adopted by the masses. But just like my post on the Top 10 Social Media Mistakes You Don't Want to Make and Can Avoid. This one is more of a do and don't type guide. I'll try to keep it short and sweet. But hopefully you should be able to gleam something from this and take away something from it you can apply in your own Social Media Marketing campaigns. And for each "Do" there is a "Not Do" too. So for each numbered Do, look at the opposite Don't do for that number.

Okay so let's get right down to it!

The Do's and Don't to Keeping it Real on Social Media?Do:

1. Focus On People
People are what count more than anything else. No people = no money. So put your focus into people. And not just all people. But the people that your niche, product or business targets.

2. Adapt and Evolve
Things change online, new trends come and go. And you should adapt and evolve around these new trends as and when they come up. Research ways to "jump on the bandwagon" as they say.

3. Experiment!
Experimenting with things leads to bigger things happening. If the Wright Brothers never experimented with creating machines that could fly - we wouldn't have the Jumbo jet today!

4. Use Peoples Real Names
It might seem strange or irrelevant but calling people by their real name instead of "buddy", "boss", "mate", "geezer" etc etc will go much further and earn you more respect at the end of the day.

5. Answer All Questions or Posts About You
I've said this before many times, but you should always reply to and answer any and all questions and things said about you or your brand in a timely manner. People will respect that.

6. Use a Combo of Social Media Sites
If you're having some success on one social media site, why not try 2? Or 3? Or 4 or more? Expand out and find the same succcess on other social media sites by doing the same things on them.

7. Aim for Ongoing Engagement
What does that mean? It means you are always trying to do things that will get people to engage with you, your brand and your social media posts that you make. Think about ways you can get people to engage.

8. Participate in Social Activities, Conversations ETC
Get on there and get chatting to people! Add followers as friends, ask them questions, answer theirs. Participate in those social activities and conversations they're having if you can find a way.

9. Talk About Your Audiences Passions
You know your product. Then you should know your products intended audience too. Talk about the things that are interesting to those people. Ask questions (even though you already know the answer) about interesting things.

10. Publish Content That Encourages Sharing
Again, you should post and publish content that actively encourages and or rewards sharing of it. Make use of call-to-actions and thanks and reward people for sharing it. They will be more inclined to do so!

11. Publish Mobile Friendly Content
More people are reading websites on their phone today than ever before. So make sure that your content, text and images is optimized for mobile viewing. View your site on your mobile. Does it look good? Do you have to zoom in/out to get it to all fit in the screen properly?

12. Gain Insights from Analytics
Google Analytics is a mine of information. That's what it's there for! Use your Analytics data to gain audience insights from a period of time that tell a story. This will help you to know what's working and what's not.

13. Build a Good Reputation
With much power comes much respect. With much respect comes much power! Build up a good name for yourself by respecting yourself and other people. People will remember and it will rub off and help you make a good name for yourself which in turn, leads to even more respect and power.

14. Seek Loyalty and Reward It
Loyalty is a very underrated thing. It can be hard to get it but when you do have it, it will be the bread and butter that you put on your dinner table. Reward loyal customers with discounts, love and admonition.

15. Use Platforms That Support Your Endeavours
Not all social media sites work for every type of site, niche or campaign. Some people do better on Pinterest than they do on Facebook. Use those platforms and social media sites that support the type of campaigns you are running.

Do Not:

1. Focus On Money
Money is good to focus on. But if you focus on money too much you'll lose sight of people. People are what really matter since people are what bring the money in the first place.

2. Try to Find The Answers in a Book
Lots of people think they can find all they need online. And that's true to a point. But we learn by doing and wisdom is found at the bottom of the bottle not what's written on the side!

3. Shy Away From New Trends
Sure it can seem daunting targeting a new trend or tactic, but don't shy away from it. Embrace it! Research it and learn from it rather than thinking "I'll never have a slice of that pie".

4. Give Generic, Apathetic Responses
Don't be like those guys that just say "Yeah whatever". Don't be unenthusiastic when replying to or responding to someone's post, comments or updates on social media.

5. Ignore Any Enquiries
Some peoples enquiries can seem like they're just kicking your tires and time wasting and not really worth responding too. Don't think like that, treat them as though they are big spenders.

6. Depend and Rely on One Source for Advertising
Social media sites are free to use right now (and I hope they stay that way). But don't limit yourself to just one site or source for all your advertising and promotion needs!

7. Turn Down Engagement Opportunities
Even if it's just replying to someone's comment on your post, or retweeting a tweet about you. Never shy away and turn down an opportunity to engage with or be engaged with.

8. Be Scared to Connect with People
Being scared or afraid to connect with people will make it harder for your business to succeed on social media. If you need confidence, go on a confidence building course!

9. Only Talk About YOUR Products
Don't just only ever talk about your own products only. Don't neglect to talk about other products of your competitors or rivals or just those that you're both interested in.

10. Publish Content that is Self Serving
Never publish content that is only ever about you and talking about you all the time only. Don't give the impression that you only care about yourself and your business and nobody or nothing else.

11. Publish Pixelated or Low Quality Images
Pixelated images or those with low quality, grainy images, and text that is all bunched together will put people off from reading your blogs posts and most likely mean they never return.

12. Jump To Conclusions
Don't jump to conclusions based on a snapshot of data. You'll likely end up thinking something is working, put a lot of effort into it only to find out it's not that popular at all.

13. Only Focus on Rankings
Don't focus solely on your rankings and neglect the human, personable side of your business. It's good to think about improving your rankings but always put people first before all of that.

14. Seek Fame and Celeb Like Status
Don't try to be a celebrity and live the life of one. When you're a celebrity you'll know it. And playing it down and remembering your humble roots is rewarded more than those that brag and boast about their "self claimed" celeb like status.

15. Try to Be On Every Platform
It's good to expand your network and portfolio of social media sites, pages and profiles. But don't force your campaigns on platforms that don't support the type of campaign that you're running.

Final Conclusion

Using Social Media effectively can be a bit of a learning curve for most people. We learn by doing. But you don't need to make the same mistakes that others have made in the past when you can find so many Social Media tips out there today. Remember, most people learn from their own mistakes - smart people learn from other peoples mistakes. Will you learn from your own, or avoid them by learning from the others?