Social media dos and don’ts

Getting to grips with social media can be tough. What should you be saying about your brand, and how should you deal with negative comments?

Here are a few social media dos and don’ts we’ve learned along the way…

DON’T: Tell people to ‘like’ you

Telling people to do something is a sure-fire way to make them not want to do it. Instead, give people a reason to ‘like’ you. So, instead of saying ‘like our Facebook page’, try ‘share your views on our Facebook page.’

DO: Learn about your followers

Listen to your fans. Learning about their needs and interests will help you to give them the kind of content they’ll be most interested in. You’ll also be able to find the most influential amongst them and they might help spread the word of your brand.

DON’T: Send messages which would annoy you

Before posting, consider whether you’d want to see that message in your feed. This generally means not bombarding people with too much brand heavy content.

DO: Make conversation

Embrace opportunities to engage in conversation with your fans. This will help you showcase your brand’s personality, and show that you’re truly interested in your consumers.

DON’T: Focus too much on your brand

Talk about what your consumer wants to talk about, even if it’s nothing to do with your brand. By building strong emotional foundations with your followers, you’ll encourage brand advocacy in a more natural way.

DON’T: Censor your page too heavily

Unless they could be considered offensive to other followers, never ignore or delete genuinely made negative comments. Instead, acknowledge the complaint in public and then take the issue ‘offline’, or continue in private messages.

DO: Say “sorry”

If you’ve got something wrong, apologise. We all make mistakes, so if you mess up, you shouldn’t be afraid to say “sorry”. It’s important to be transparent and authentic at all times.