While social media is largely free for individuals to use as they wish, as a business, there are a certain set of unspoken rules we must abide by. Unfortunately, as they’re ‘unspoken’ rules, many new business owners slip up on them. Fortunately, we’ve put together a list of the biggest social media etiquette blunders and how to avoid them.
1. Ignoring comments and messages
It takes two to tango and if your social media pages are very much one way then you are missing out on a great deal of opportunity to nurture your audience. It is called ‘social’ media after all. As such, you should be sure to respond to all messages and as many comments as you can manage.
When brands ignore their audience, they lose their audience.
2. Reacting poorly to negative reviews
Negative reviews can be disheartening – especially when the problem has been blown out of proportion (as is often the case), however, responding too hastily can be a mistake.
You should take a moment to consider the review and how you will respond. Be positive and attempt to understand their position and provide as best a solution as you can.
Obviously, it is not uncommon for people to leave negative feedback when they were 100% in the wrong. However, that doesn’t give you an excuse to respond poorly. A) it makes your brand look easy to provoke. And B) it may put others off leaving feedback at all, positive or otherwise.
3. Talking down other competitors (especially small businesses)
It’s natural to have some healthy rivalry in business but if you wish to maintain a sterling reputation, you should avoid bad-mouthing other businesses. This is even more important at the lower level. If you post negative information about a small business and they go out of business as a result, you are directly impacting another person’s livelihood.
Keep it light. There are many, far more effective ways to show your competitors up and success is the one that tastes best.
4. Not crediting third-party content
Content curation is perfectly acceptable – as long as you credit the author. Sometimes it can be difficult to think up new content ideas and sharing a funny video, infographic, or blog post from another page is a nice, easy way to fill in the gaps. However, if you try to pass the content off as your own or simply don’t bother giving credit where it’s due, it will reflect poorly on your brand.
There are smarter ways to promote your brand on Instagram and appropriating content is not one of them.
5. Using click-bait tactics to boost engagement
The internet is littered with enough disingenuous click-bait as it is. Let’s not add to that steaming pile of nonsense.
If you want people to head over to your blog and engage with your content, write titles that will pique their curiosity by all means; but don’t willingly manipulate them. When a member of your audience interacts with one of your posts, you must meet—if not exceed—their expectations.
It’s common courtesy.
Final thoughts
In truth, these are just a handful of the ‘unspoken’ rules of social media etiquette for small businesses. There are others so it is definitely worth taking the time to research them – and make sure that you abide by them.
Your reputation may very well depend on it.
Alternatively, if you find the prospect of managing your social media accounts as well as running your business unbearable, we’d highly recommend outsourcing your requirements entirely. There’s a well-established social media marketing agency in Dubai who can effectively manage your accounts while creating high-value content that always paints your brand in a positive light.
In any case we hope you’ve found the above points insightful and wish you well with your future social media engagements.
