Social media is all about sharing, interaction, and building relationships. That part is simple. If you’re not super savvy on social, the confusion usually comes in trying to figure out how best to start sharing, getting interaction, and building relationships.
Have no fear! Even if social media is a complete, baffling mystery to you, these 7 tips will help you get on your way in no time:
1. Be human.
People like dealing with people, especially in business. So, just interact with other humans like a human. Engage in conversations sincerely and be relatable. It’s that simple. It may come off as cliché, but just be yourself; as long as you’re not a robot, people will talk to you.
2. Return the favor.
If a real person (not a spam account) is interacting with you on social media, return the favor! If someone has taken the time in the busy, constantly expanding world of social to interact with you out of millions of other users, take the time to continue the conversation, even if all you do is give them a shout-out with a quick “thanks.”
3. You have to give, in order to get.
As with relationships in real life (IRL), there is also a give and take on social media. If you want followers, you need to follow people. If you want people to comment on your stuff, comment on other people’s content too. Show you’re an active, helpful community member, and the (social) community will reward you for it.
4. Valuable content.
Content is king, especially on social media. Your content will be the determining factor for engagement. If you’re providing useful content, content that evokes emotion, and content that provides value, you’ll be well on your way to more engagement. This, in turn, builds relationships and offers opportunities to start meaningful conversations. Plus, if you get a reputation for providing great content, people will be even more likely to engage or share what you’re posting, simply because they know whatever it is will be good.
5. Don’t be a troll.
Trolls on social media don’t hide under bridges forcing people to pay a toll. On social media, they lurk in forums and comment sections. Saying hurtful or intentionally offensive things to simply get a rise out of whoever might be reading, that’s being a troll. Keep in mind, simply disagreeing with someone on the internet does not make you a troll. Trolls are “trolling” networks for attention. It’s usually best to just ignore them. Most will get bored without interaction and leave to find a different target. However, some of them can be tricky, so here are some tips on dealing with trolls.
6. A little common sense goes a long way.
Common sense will be your best friend when you’re navigating the social realm. You’re dealing with the internet here, so remember, once you post it, it’s there forever. Simply taking a moment to think about what you’re posting will do wonders for your online reputation. If you’re jumping on a trending hashtag, make sure it’s relevant and you’re using it correctly. If not, you might end up going viral for all the wrong reasons. If you’re getting ready to post something in the heat of the moment, take a moment to breathe and think calmly, is whatever you’re getting ready to post really something you want representing you? If not, do yourself a favor and don’t post it. Employers check up on potential employees on social media, and what they find can keep people from getting a job or even an interview – as a business, your customers will do the same. So, when you’re engaging on social, post responsibly.
7. It’s not all about you.
As a business, social media is not all about you. Actually, very little of it is about you. Instead, it’s all about your customers and potential customers – your target audience. Everything you post has to be with your target audience in mind. If you want to build better relationships with them on social media, your content has to be valuable and useful to them, not promotional. You can promote your business sometimes, but the majority of your posts should be posting content your audience will find engaging and curating other people’s valuable content. You may be on social media to promote your brand, but the process of being social is all about your target audience.
Social media doesn’t have to hard. It can get complicated once you get into advertising options, different types of pages, deciding on social networks, and on and on, but being social on social media, that part’s easy. You interact socially, all day, every day – all you need to do is take it online.