Advice is generally well meant: “you should talk to her if you want to solve the problem, you should really ask the doctor about that [insert bizarre medical problem here], thou shalt not steal” etc etc. However, not all advice is good advice and it helps to know when to politely disregard friendly guidance.
Social media exploded onto the scene a few short years ago, and despite its recent origins it has taken the digital world by storm – so much so that it’s fast becoming one of those things we just can’t live without.
The rise of social media has spawned a new breed of social media experts, and while some have some excellent advice for brands and individuals alike, some should be forbidden from Facebook, prohibited from Pinterest; banned from imparting any form of counsel on the subject whatsoever. Here are some of the top untruths to look out for.
Automate all updates
While automating some of your updates can save you time on a busy day (Hootsuite is an invaluable resource for this) automating them all is a terrible idea. Granted, managing your social media can be time consuming, but the fact is you need to be present with your readers. It is only through interacting on a consistent basis that you climb the ranks in the eyes of your audience. Automating your updates is a mere cry for attention and shows you haven’t got that much interest in engaging with your readers.
Create lots of separate social media accounts
When you’re starting out in the world of social media, having a separate account for all divisions of the company isn’t recommended. Build your online presence with one account and once the followers start to rack up and there is considerable brand loyalty going on, you can start adding more accounts to each platform – as long as you have the time to dedicate to each one. Remember that each account caters to a different audience, so content should be created accordingly.
Join every single social media network
Having your fingers in too many pies can often be more detrimental than beneficial. It’s impossible to be everywhere and try to please everyone and do a good job. You need to be selective and focus your efforts on a few particular platforms to reap the best results. This isn’t to say you should just choose one platform and run with that – your audience is likely to be spread across a number of networks so you need to find out what they are and work with these initially.
Outsource all your social media
The point of using social media is to build a relationship with your audience, which outsourcing can sometimes contradict. Your online presence should really be your voice, your insights and your expertise, something that can prove difficult to teach to others. For this reason, you should only outsource your social media to companies that have a clear understanding of your business, the ability to channel your brand’s message and the capacity to reply to followers in a suitable manner.
Ignore negative comments
All comments are important, whether they are singing your praises or making a complaint. A company that decides not to respond to negative comments could adversely impact its reputation because it will seem as though you don’t deem customer satisfaction a significant issue. Social media is the face of your company so customer service is just as important here as it is in the non-digital world. View negative comments as an opportunity to publicly address the issue and prove that you care about your business and your customers, and that you’re confident enough to tackle difficult matters.
Social media does not require a strategy
Eh-err. Just as content creation requires a watertight strategy, amplification should be carried out in line with pre-defined goals. Figure out exactly what you want to achieve, where you are going to source sparkling content to share, how much time you will dedicate to social media each day/week, who your target audience is and on which networks these people congregate.
Read More
How to Know Where to Share Your Content
Social Bookmarking Sites – What Do I Need to Know?
Jenny Maclean
