The “How-to” Guide of Social Media Etiquette

Warren Knight

Whilst some social media “experts” might suggest that there is no social media etiquette, I would have to disagree. I was contacted by LBC through a Twitter DM a couple of week ago, to go speak with them on their Saturday night radio show. The topic of conversation was surrounding the LinkedIn message a lawyer had received from a male colleague, commenting on her looks. You can read the full story on this here.

I shared the below tweet with my audience to let them know, and they engaged with me because of this.

Just like I had previously said on LBC, LinkedIn is a professional social network and should be treated as such, not as a dating website. Whilst you may not agree with me (we are all entitled to our own opinions) there is a general social media etiquette that I believe should be followed for all of the important social networks.

Facebook

You might know the basics of presenting yourself on Facebook because you have used it personally however, from a business perspective you might be missing a few pointers.

• Respond to all comments – the good, the bad and the ugly
  
• Understand how hashtags work on Facebook. Maximum of 2-3 per post
  
• Pareto’s 80/20 rule – 80% entertaining your audience, 20% selling
  
• Do NOT post on other Facebook Pages asking for likes
  
• Always write in first person when talking about your business on Facebook
  
• Only ASK for likes when it’s for the purpose of a survey/poll

Twitter

There are over 100 million daily twitter users, of which 64% are women. 46% of Twitter users use their account at least once a day. Here are a few do’s and don’ts for Twitter.

• Respond to questions as quickly as possible
  
• Use hashtags, but know your limit! No more than two per tweet
  
• Don’t feel the need to follow everyone who follows you
  
• Stay positive – negativity loses followers
  
• Avoid sharing too much personal information

Google+

Google+ is still relatively new to the social media sphere and is slowly making waves. Not everyone is convinced about Google+ and that’s OK. If it isn’t the social network for you, at least set up your Google+ business page so that you can be found easier on Google. Here are a few tips for using Google+

• Use the +mention feature when talking about other people/businesses
  
• Always add your own message before sharing someone else’s Google+ post
  
• Keep your circles clearly defined and make sure they right people are in the right circles
  
• Use all of Google’s formatting options to make your posts easier to read e.g. bold, underline and italic

Instagram

Of all the social networks, Instagram is the network that should be approached differently. How should you use Instagram? Here are some etiquette tips;

• Don’t ask people to follow you, and using hashtags like #TagsforLikes is unprofessional
  
• Only post images/videos when you have something worth sharing. Don’t overpopulate your followers newsfeeds. They will only hold it against you.
  
• As a business, avoid selfies, food (unless appropriate) and family photos
  
• Give and take. If you want people to comment on your photos, you need to engage as well
  
• NEVER repost someone else’s photo without their permission
  
• Use as many hashtags as you like, as long as they are relevant

LinkedIn

The business social network; LinkedIn has 120 million daily users and has some obvious guidelines that a business should follow.

• Keep it professional… always
  
• Industry-related updates only (unless a business milestone)
  
• Personalise your connection requests
  
• Don’t clog up someone’s inbox with generic messages
  
• Use a professional image as your profile picture
  
• Don’t send mass requests for recommendations or endorsements

Pinterest

Did you know that blogs are the most popular click-through location from Pinterest? Whilst Pinterest might be used as someone’s personal style inspiration moodboard, it can prove to be a successful network from a business perspective too.

• Always link back to your original source if repinning an image
  
• Upload your own pin to start a “repinning trend”
  
• Don’t mass repin. Spread your time out evenly on the network
  
• Share posts with your community by mentioning them in the comment box
  
• Create multiple boards, some of which should be collaboration boards

I hope my “how-to” guide of Social Media Etiquette will help you with your social media! What social network do you enjoy using the most?

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