- Have complete and engaging profile information
The first step for business owners to look professional on social media is to have a profile that is complete. This is of course very important because the way your profile is written can show credibility and trustworthiness. When it comes to a business profile, the key things to remember are as follow:
Identity: your brand’s name and what you do aka what you offer as a service or product.
Why you exist: what you are trying to do in the word with the existence of your service or product.
Contact: how you can be contacted either from a customer service, or your official website, or even for a chance to collaborate.
And lastly, maybe even an address if you have an offline store or office which your consumers (or potential business partners) can make a visit to.
In line with the research shared by Outbound Engine, consider your social media accounts as your initial digital introduction as a business owner. Incomplete social media profiles can give off an unprofessional impression. Dedicate a few minutes to meticulously complete all your profile details, encompassing contact information, and upload high-quality profile and cover photos. This attention to detail enhances your online professionalism.
If you have the above points ready, you’re good to go.
- Post with a lot of thoughts and consideration
Although social media is supposed to be a free space where people can share thoughts and opinions, it is probably not that free for business owners if they want to thrive in this digital environment. Remember, your account exists to support your brand’s image and value in the market. With that said, there’s no point in engaging in trivial social matters unless your brand has a strong connection to certain values in society.
In accordance with research findings highlighted by Hoot suite, when establishing a brand, it’s beneficial to maintain a distinction between your personal and professional social media pages. Consistently sharing specific types of content through your business profile helps your clients identify the right account to follow. Additionally, this approach prevents you from inundating friends and family who follow you for personal updates with business-related content.
Still, when trying to engage in certain sensitive topics, you need to use extra discernment and use proper language that will not potentially hurt the feelings (or dignity) of certain groups of people. As a brand, you need to have a personality and a strong character, but you also need more charm than just those. So, keep to being charming more than anything else: give your posts a lot of thoughts before posting.
- Reply to comments with courtesy and professionalism
It is a very happy thing to have a lot of engagement in your comments section and you should always reply to them (unless the comments are absolutely random). Even on negative comments, you still need to address them in a professional way, but only when you actually have the time. It can’t be helped that you will receive bad comments every now and then if you are a popular account, so even though it’s a good idea to read them, too, just put them as last priority. Your biggest duty lies with your supporters.
When replying to any types of comment, make sure you are level-headed and can reply with a professional mannerism. That way, you will retain your worth and credibility in the public eye. When handling negative comments, just be sure that you acknowledge the comments and thank them for helping you improve through constructive criticism.
- Post on a regular basis and don’t leave your followers hanging
When you are doing a good business, you may tend to forget about your social media presence. After all, who needs to maintain it when your real business is already thriving? However, if your business does rely on social media presence to a great extent, then forsaking your social media marketing should not even be an option.
According to research conducted by Sprout Social, it’s essential to maintain a consistent posting schedule and not leave your followers without fresh content. The ideal posting frequency can vary depending on your business and industry, but a general guideline is to post at least once or twice a week. Posting too infrequently can result in missed chances to build brand awareness, while excessive posting runs the risk of overwhelming or irritating your followers.
With that said, you still need to post on a regular basis and not leave your followers hanging. Of course, if you a big brand, you may not even need to post every single day. But still, make sure that when you have any updates, new arrivals, store news, and/or discounts, post them all on your social media accounts. This way your promotions will get more exposure and more people will buy your products or services. You can also remind people of your existing products.
- Don’t mix personal stories with business stories
Nowadays we hear a lot about getting personal when in business dealings. Although that notion holds true and can help businesses get closer with their consumers, there are still rules to abide by. For instance, you want to give the impression of being close, personal, and friendly with your audience, but that doesn’t mean they want to know every single tidbit of your daily life nor the daily problems you face in life. If you do complain on your business account about private matters, you might just risk losing a few followers just because they can’t be bothered.
So, always have 2 accounts—one business and the other personal. Of course, they can be following each other so the audience knows who’s behind the business. But if you do this, still be careful with what you share online to a great extent. Basically, everyone just needs to use discernment when posting online.
Hope you enjoy reading “Social Media Etiquette For Business Owners: 5 Do’s” 🙂
SIMILAR QUESTION
What Are Five Social Media Etiquettes For Business?
Introduction
Social media has become an integral part of today’s business landscape, providing businesses with a platform to reach out to their customers and potential customers. While social media can be a valuable tool for businesses, it can also be a source of frustration if not used properly. To ensure effective and successful use of social media, businesses need to familiarize themselves with the etiquette of social media. This paper will discuss five social media etiquettes for businesses to follow.
1. Respect Your Audience
The most important social media etiquette for businesses is to respect their audience. Businesses need to remember that their audience is made up of real people with real feelings and opinions. Businesses should treat their customers and potential customers with respect and courtesy, never using offensive language or speaking negatively about them. Additionally, businesses should make sure to respond to customers’ comments and inquiries in a timely manner and in an appropriate tone.
2. Be Authentic
Another important etiquette for businesses is to be authentic. Businesses should avoid trying to be something they are not in order to gain more followers or customers. Social media is a platform for businesses to showcase their true identity and values, and businesses should be transparent and honest in what they post. Additionally, businesses should avoid buying followers or using shady tactics to gain more traction.
3. Share Relevant Content
Businesses should make sure to share content that is relevant and interesting to their target audience. If the content is not relevant or interesting to their audience, it will be unlikely to engage them. Additionally, businesses should make sure to vary the type of content they post in order to keep their audience interested and engaged.
4. Monitor Your Presence
Businesses should make sure to monitor their social media presence regularly. They should be aware of what is being said about them and respond to any negative comments or reviews in a timely manner. Additionally, businesses should make sure to use the appropriate social media channels for their target audience and ensure that their accounts are active and up-to-date.
5. Promote Collaboration
Finally, businesses should make sure to promote collaboration on their social media accounts. This could involve encouraging their audience to share their thoughts and opinions on topics related to their business as well as interacting with other businesses and influencers in their industry. This will help build relationships and trust with their audience, which is essential for successful social media engagement.
Conclusion
In conclusion, social media can be a powerful tool for businesses, but only if used properly. By following these five social media etiquettes, businesses can ensure effective and successful use of their social media accounts. Respect your audience, be authentic, share relevant content, monitor your presence, and promote collaboration. By doing so, businesses can build relationships and trust with their audience, which will lead to more engagement and success.
