Social Media: What Not To Do!

Despite being a pretty recent phenomenon, social media is here to stay.

Now businesses are being encouraged to blog, tweet and facebook with vigour…

For some, social media has a clear position in their business plan – it’s a proven success, and other companies are mirroring their example. For others, it’s a new tool and one that they’re not yet at ease with.

Undoubtedly, social media has huge potential as a greatly effective tool – participation should be encouraged. Nevertheless, at a professional level, it’s important to have the necessary skills and experience.

Here are some helpful tips to make your voyage into the universe of social media a little simpler. In short, here’s what not to do!

Firstly, it’s important that social media is planned. Don’t attempt it with an ad lib “let’s have a go” approach. After all, if you are the voice for an organisation, you have a reputation to manage and represent.

Social media consists of a mixture of marketing, sales, customer service and PR – so of course, experience in these areas is an advantage.

Secondly, both time and commitment are necessary with social media. You can’t just “have a go”, and give up when you feel like it. People will notice!

Start off slowly, and take your time to build up your presence. Have a look at how it would fit in with your other sales and marketing channels, taking into account all your other commitments.

Decide which platforms work best for your business and which will allow you to communicate with your target market. You don’t need to be present on every single platform.

Don’t aim too high, have direction, and don’t lose sight of your end goal.

Finally, be careful of what you say! After just one click, thoughts and views representing the whole company are out there on the WWW. Think before you publish!

Furthermore, take the time to evaluate which techniques are working the best for your business.

Social media offers you the chance not only to reach potential clients, but also connect with existing ones in a new way. Although, don’t expect instant result. It’s important to understand the limitations, and time is a big factor.

Nevertheless, social media has huge potential to be an effective part of your business’ communications strategy.

Want to find out more about how social media can work for your business? Visit Art Division to find out what we can do for your organisations online presence.