Social Media Ettiquette

Just like there are rules in the physical world, the online world has rules as well. With more people turning to social media for news and information from organizations in these times of COVID, knowing the social media rules of engagement is necessary.

Here are 5 reminders for organizations who wish to communicate via social media. These are especially important in times of crisis and emergencies. 

• Using Bad Language – Think about it, what is to be gained by using language that may offend the majority of the people you are connected to you? You want to look smart, engaging, and knowledgable. You also want to bring calm and reduce panic. Use language that can help you accomplish your goal.

• Constant Selling – Blatant selling is a no-no in the social media realm. The focus should be on adding value to your connections by sharing news, providing advice, sharing tips, etc. There’s a time and place for everything. Focus on building relationships and being social and saves the sales pitch for another place.
• Having No Plan – Why are you on social media? What are you planning to accomplish by spending time on the platforms you have chosen? You’d never start a traditional marketing campaign without a plan so why wing it with social media? A plan provides you with a clear way forward and makes it easy to measure your return on engagement and track progress. Start with a plan.

• Posting to the Wrong Account: If you have a personal account and a business account for Facebook, ensure that you are logged into the right account before sending a post. Taking the extra second to double-check can save you the embarrassment of sharing something meant for a private audience with the public at large.

• Not engaging audience: In times of emergencies or in a crisis, social media becomes a place to have conversations. Don’t just post to social media and walk away. Expect people to have questions or comments. People need answers and they need a voice they can depend on. Don’t leave them hanging.