Social Media Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts #AREFchat

If you are serious about promoting your business online, you need to be aware that there are many tactics and practices that can actually be more detrimental to your company than if you stayed offline all together. Now, we don’t say that to scare you from venturing into new media; there is no question that when used properly, it can grow your business by leaps and bounds. Just refer back to February 17th’s #AREFchat when Jay Thompson (@PhxREguy) said that Internet marketing and the advances of technology made conducting business “both easier and more difficult. Technology provides greater efficiency, which leads to a broader reach, which leads to more business, which is more difficult to keep up with.” So, basically you should engage in social media, the advantages far out weigh the disadvantages, but make sure you know proper etiquette before you begin, which just so happens to have been our topic of conversation for #AREFchat this St. Patrick’s Day morning.

The absolute must-follow rule is to engage. It’s not enough to just set up a Twitter account or Facebook profile to push your brand and company news out. You must also listen. Reply to the people that send you messages, leave comments on your wall or mention you on Twitter. Social media is a two-way conversation, and you will get no where by not listening and responding appropriately.

@MonteHewett said it perfectly with “I find it funny that some on Twitter follow thousands of people but only have 5 tweets – it’s not a conversation if you only listen.”

Also, don’t make all of your conversations just about you. This is a great way to bore your friends, followers and fans. You definitely want some of your content to be about your brand, but, more than likely, these are not going to be the tweets and updates that inspire interaction. Re-tweet interesting facts, studies, news articles, videos, proverbs or anything else that may be related to your industry but is also thought-provoking.

Another social media no-no: “All the so-called ‘gurus’ pushing their wares that really have no clue about SM or real estate” (@PhxREguy). Once you become active in the social media game, you will be solicited by many so-called “experts” wanting to sell you something. These emails, tweets, messages, etc. are highly annoying, but they don’t seem to every stop. Make sure you never get fooled into investing money with these people. If you really are serious about launching a social media campaign, do your homework to make sure the company is reputable and credible. Here is a great article on how to tell if your social media consultant “gets it.”

There many more do’s and don’ts than just these for launching an effective social media strategy, but we couldn’t cover them all in just 45 min. If you have other tips that you would like to add, feel free to leave a comment below! And then join us next Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. EST on Twitter with the hashtag #AREFchat.