5 Social Media Tips for Your Business To Remember Before Hitting Send

By Emily Carroll, Marketing Intern
07/29/2015

Have you ever posted something on social media that you have later learned to regret? In the heat of the moment your Facebook status about the incompetent waitress who consistently got your order wrong seemed satisfying; but when you realize your boss and Facebook friend, Rebecca Nolan is the mother of this same waitress, you immediately feel the need to call in sick to work for the next week. Of course, everyone makes mistakes and the good news is you can delete a post as quickly as you can post one. The bad news? From a business standpoint, a rant on social media can lead to the demise of your company’s hard-earned reputation in seconds. To avoid hindering the value and success of your business, here are 5 social media tips to remember before hitting send.

#1: Don’t Fight Back

Ever heard of the saying, the customer is always right? Go ahead and roll your eyes—I know you want to. Anyone that works in customer service can tell you their personal stories falsifying this notorious business motto, but it is an important one to remember when using social media to communicate with your clients. If you engage in negative comments, or worse fight back with the customer, you are creating negative buzz to those watching it all unfold. This in turn retracts past or potential customers from using your services because they associate this argument with the way you treat the rest of your cliental.

#2: Be Authentic

Just because you’re using a mechanical device to communicate with the masses doesn’t mean you have to speak robotically. People are more likely to do business with someone they feel like they know rather than a machine. The beauty of social media lies in the opportunity to speak freely and creatively with your consumers, so take advantage! No need to be to be dry or formal because this isn’t a business setting. Just be yourself and people will follow (literally).

#3: Comparing is Not Caring

A common strategy in the world of business is for companies to compare one another to see who’s on top, but this can instead create a race to the bottom. For social media you do not want to merely keep up with the Joneses, you want to be the Joneses.If your Facebook account is eerily similar to your competitor’s, this will not entice consumers to switch over but in fact cast you as a copier. If certain social media techniques work for a company, that’s great, but do not follow their lead. Develop something greater that will distract and draw the audience in. Things like contests, coupons, or interactive games may be what your company is looking for.

#4: Don’t Be a Politician

There have been times when companies are involved in minor or major slip-ups and use social media to clarify the situation to the consumer firsthand. It is extremely important that you are honest with what you are revealing. Even spinning the crisis at hand can lead to a major fall out for your business. If caught in a lie, the consumer automatically deems you discreditable and will not choose you for future business endeavors. My advice would be to communicate as much of the available information as possible. Next, come up with a way to speak about how your organization is handling the situation and what actions will be taken to avoid something like this happening again. I promise, your audience can handle the truth.

#5: What happens Online, Stays Online

Unlike the real world, social media allows you to delete those questionable life decisions that have been documented in years past. Though, along with the glorious delete option, come tools such as screenshots, copy and paste, and saving an image from anywhere on the world wide web. This means that if you post something less than flattering, it can be saved by any Internet troll in the matter of seconds, and then forwarded like a bad chain email. Remember this applies to comments, pictures, videos, and statuses—once something is posted to the Internet, it’s never going away.      

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