How not to burn your boats on social media
Gill Fountain • February 27, 2020
What not to do on social media
Love or hate social media, it can make or swiftly break a business or a person's reputation. In this article read about social proof, buying habits, what our clients see and suggested do's and don'ts on social media
Social Proof
People will search for you online sometimes before requesting any contact. Having a good online presence is envied by many and can be seen as a waste of time by others. It really does depend on whether we understand how it can work, how to make it work - or being brave enough to say 'this isn't for me - I need help'. Marketing your business is a must - you can be the best in your field, if people could only find you.
How our buying habits have changed
There are some business owners who will never go online and feel contended to rely on their local customer base to support them through the years, in the hope that the next generation of clients will follow. Unfortunately the next generation is already savvy enough to shop around and have connections sometimes in different towns or even time zones. How many of us who were buying from our local shops a decade ago, started to buy online via the likes of Amazon or Ebay and are now buying individual products from the factories in China - the world of buying has changed.
Marketing your business is a must - you can be the best in your field, if people could only find you!
Are you missing out on clients because they are reading through the lines?
Our clients make assumptions and get 'the feel' of us as people by what they read, whether we are students with potential employees looking at our Facebook profiles and pages or possible clients searching for our business on line - they see what and how we write.
Why not take the time and check out what others read about you - search for your own name - you may be surprised what they find.
A slip up here and there with a 'it will all be forgotten' - doesn't quite workout online. Social media errors can cost you business and friends.
With this in mind I have put together a quick tips sheet of the do's and don'ts of posting on social media. It's not THE list however if you follow these pointers you won't go far wrong and you will soon start attracting clients - and most of them are common sense.
21 things to avoid posting on social media
- Write a complete post in upper case - it's seen as shouting
- Upload images of you and your friends after a night out on the town - drunk
- Talk about taking drugs
- Add any pictures harming others, human or animals
- Tag people to get a reaction
- Add your bank or credit card details
- Add images of other peoples children
- Be careful of adding lots of pictures of your own children
- Anything racist - I mean anything!
- Anything that will harm others
- No inciting riots
- Ranting - and continuing to rant
- Name or shaming - keep it private
- Nudity - we don't want to see it
- Extreme political posts - you can loose an account by having public opposite views
- Tell people you are away from home - Come and take my stuff
- Moan about your neighbours
- Fall out with someone even in another town - people drive - no really they can turn up at your door.
- Keep scrolling - if you think you shouldn't comment post - think - by joining in on this post will it damage me or my business?
- Avoid always selling AT people
- Openingly invite everyone to your party - tell your children!
On a more positive note there are simple guidelines to keep to that will enhance the way people see you, provide you with opportunities, increasing your credibility and authority. We are not talking rocket science and this is not a guide telling you how to increase your numbers or fulfill more orders, however the two go hand in hand, if you are seen as a nice friendly person to work with potential clients start to feel that know, like and trust that nine times out of ten has to be built before people decide to buy from you.
7 things you can do on social media that says a lot about your character
- Be Kind
- Add value
- Comment on others posts
- Share others posts
- Support your friends
- Add posts that are interesting, funny and inspiring
- Be seen
If you are struggling to know what to write - the idea of this blog came from seeing a post online where the postee had given away details that would put her at risk. I hope the above is interesting enough for you to take some of the information away with you and remember when writing, the important thing to remember is being social is fun, on and offline, it can be very funny, make your friends smile, help them through some difficult times and decrease loneliness. it even helps to increase the amount of clients asking you for help.
Other articles can be seen here
Are you struggling to understand your social media, how it can increase your business or struggling to understand how your marketing is or isn't working? Why not connect with us, book a free 30 mins discovery call and take the opportunity of asking us those annoying questions.
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