Social media is good when you utilize it appropriately. If approached wrongly, however, it can do serious damage to the reputation of your small business or brand. If you plan to influence your target market by using different social media platforms in an effective manner, you should always remember to adhere to some key do’s and don’ts.
Given below are 10 of the most important ones.
#1. Interact Effectively
Social media is all about getting social, as much as you can be. Interaction is the very essence that keeps social media thrive. Though it can take time to know how to interact in an effective manner, you can learn it from other industry influencers and with more practice. What’s really important is that you know how to strike the correct balance between promoting your own products (or services) and providing content that offers real value.
#2. Don’t Hesitate to Follow the Competition
Most of the online marketers are averse to following their competitors. This is not the right attitude. While using social media, you should be open to following even your competitors and having a closer look at their strategy. In any case, always treat your competitors with respect.
#3. Share a Variety of Content
If your shared content on social media is really share-worthy, it can go viral in minutes. In order to increase the viral potential of your content, you should focus on the quality as well as the type. For example, images, videos and infographics carry more viral potential as compared to other content types.
#4. Don’t Respond Late
Successful social media users are some of the most active online marketers. While using different social media platforms, you will receive comments, likes, feedback, questions etc. You should always remember to pay attention to your audience’s responses in a timely manner. Show the audience that you are right there behind your products.
#5. Promote Others’ Good Stuff
No matter which social media platform you participate at, it’s all about sharing content that provides real value to the user. Promoting your own stuff blatantly can easily ruin your business reputation or get you banned. It’s, therefore, advisable to share the good content that others post.
#6. Don’t Lie
Social media users or online marketers should always remember not to lie to project something that’s not the reality. By being unauthentic or hiding or lying can lead to serious consequences. Avoid it at all cost!
#7. Optimize Social Media Pages
You might be aware of the fact that content shared on social media also appears in search engine results. That’s a clear indication of how SEO can be applied to improve the visibility of your social media pages and reach out to a larger number of audience.
#8. Don’t Get Too Wordy
Most of the social media websites have character limits for content you want to post. If you are using social platforms like Facebook and Twitter, it’s important to keep your updates succinct.
#9. Attract Visually
Pinterest, a new social media website, has gained wide popularity in short span of time. It’s because of its visual book-marking features. We are actually visual creatures and are attracted by visual elements too. So, make sure your social media profiles or pages look visually appealing.
#10. Don’t Have One Strategy for All Social Networks
There are different types of social media platforms in terms of geographical reach and audience demographics. If you think the same strategy can be applied to all the social platforms where you participate, you are making a huge mistake. Work out unique strategies based on specific requirements.
Are you an active social media user? If you have some more tips or want to share your own views, please feel free to comment.
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Article by Obaidul Haque
Obaidul is a professional SEO, freelance writer and passionate blogger. He works with a wide range of clients from all across the globe and helps them expand the online reach of their businesses. He’s the owner of HelloBloggerz.com, where he shares insightful tips on blogging and internet marketing. Music is like oxygen to him. He can be reached via Twitter.
Obaidul has written 4 awesome articles for us at Fans bridge blog
Twitter: @obaidulhaque | Blog → HelloBloggerz
Entrepreneur, Speaker, Social Media Specialist for @kataraqatar, Blogger Author of Facebook marketing for smart people.
{ 87 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: akhilendra1
August 28, 2012 at 8:49 am
Wonderful post giving very detailed information about how to use social media. I don’t think a blogger can survive without social media marketing in today’s world.
thanks for sharing this
akhilendra recently posted..How To Get Traffic From Facebook For Your Blog
Twitter: obaidulhaque
August 29, 2012 at 8:37 am
Definitely, social media can’t be ignored!
Twitter: SoCalMobileAuto
August 28, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Numbers 2, 5 & 7 are really good. This is very good tip sheet. I didn’t even think to optimize my Facebook page. I mean I’ve seen it show up in searched before but I think it could be better.
Thanks!
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Twitter: obaidulhaque
August 29, 2012 at 8:39 am
Appropriate optimization for search will increase the visibility of your social media pages and take your participation at social media to the next level. Glad that you liked those points.
Thanks, Joe.
Twitter: prosperouscoach
August 29, 2012 at 12:42 am
I admit that I am guilty of #4. The reason is that I get busy and when I go back to Twitter and see that someone retweeted or shared my post, I feel that too much time has gone by to thank them. I know that this is just an excuse. I should probably visit each social media platform at least once every two days or so. Thank you! Suzanne
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Twitter: obaidulhaque
August 29, 2012 at 8:40 am
Well, it’s never too late to start.
Twitter: russellworld
August 29, 2012 at 10:01 am
Social media is now best place for bloggers & small business holders. You added some excellent points what to do in this Social media & what to omit in Social media.
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Twitter: obaidulhaque
August 29, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Glad you liked it, Ahsan.
Twitter: freedommmc
August 29, 2012 at 5:17 pm
The social media platforms are different but the idea is the same right?
Isn’t the goal to share your latest posts on the different platforms?
How can you have a unique strategy for each?
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Twitter: obaidulhaque
August 29, 2012 at 5:38 pm
The basic idea of participating at social media networks is to listen to your target audience, understand their likes and dislikes, engage with them genuinely and offer something of real value to simplify their day-to-day lives.
Sharing your latest posts is never an ultimate goal. Depending on the nature of your business, you may want to achieve different goals. You may want to promote a product or a service. You may want to sell an e-book. You may also want to generate business leads.
Thanks for your comment, Jacko.
Yes never lie to your readers, followers and customers as you will lose all that you have. Credibility is one of the most important on a website because the more you are popular and trusted the more people will go and have business with you.
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Great post,
Found it at right time as I am not able to put my thoughts into words but this tips will now help me to put it in words thanks
Twitter: obaidulhaque
September 1, 2012 at 11:17 am
Thanks for your visit, Brian.
These are very good tips and this list is definitely worth reading! Social media networks should be used to target your audience and try to relate to them in terms of their likes and dislikes, engage with them by creating competitions etc. for them to participate in.
Twitter: obaidulhaque
September 2, 2012 at 3:59 am
Glad you liked the post, Chantal.
Twitter: ipad89com
September 4, 2012 at 7:14 am
These are really great do’s which can help us in growth of our business. Actually many people know but to do and hence they do the same but people are not aware of dont do’s . So this is really a great article which will really help all the bloggers & specially new bloggers like me
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Twitter: antonrsa
September 4, 2012 at 8:24 am
Hi Obaidul,
Yes – Personally and professionally , I think not having the same strategy across your targeted social media channels and or networks is one of the most important tips to know and understand – as not all these social media channels is used in the same way and doesn’t produce the same value as some of the others.
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Twitter: obaidulhaque
September 10, 2012 at 6:03 am
Thanks for your comment, Anton.
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Hey Obaidul
These is a great guide for businesses using social media. We tend to make small mistakes many a times that may hamper out business. Thanks for this useful info.
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i want to shift from blogger.com to wordpress due to availability of lots of Plugins…Will it hamper my SEO strategies?Am i on the right track?I am fresher in blogging ..need your guidance!!
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That’s a huge list of powerful advice. I love the part that you shared an advice to promote others’ good stuff… That’s truly new to me and I was never aware that it is good too.
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Hi Obaidul,
Social media is indeed the essence of online business. The post describes a detailed insight about the social media aspects. Thanks for this great insight.
Twitter: gmanendra_com
September 6, 2012 at 12:03 pm
This is really interesting article and really helpful for the new guys. Social media is the most important thing these days no one should underestimate it as it is generating more leads.
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Incredible article! You really give the reader the ability to think more among your writing , again thanks a lot .
Great tips to promote on Social Media. Work with courage and knowledge to attract the people and make your product viral. Interaction is one of the power aspect that can reward a lot. Interaction with positive attitude has a lot of potential.
Thanks for sharing this comprehensive guide, behaving inappropriately online can most definitely affect your credibility especially when you are engaged in online marketing. Consistency is key.
Nothing irks me more than an inactive business social networking account, your inability to manage as a page administrator directly corresponds to inconsistency. I highly believe in the value of social engagement and personally attending to inquiries and other concerns. Thanks for the informative share!
Thanks for taking the time to share your view with us.You seem to be more practicable! keep up the good work! ,I’ve gain more knowledge and good information from your post thanks.
Twitter: science_feature
September 7, 2012 at 7:59 pm
Hey Obaidul, This post contains a number of good tips for working out good on social networking field. Thanks for sharing these guidelines to me.
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Yes to #8! People don’t like to read and a lot of people are visually lead. Be sweet and to the point and your audience will like you more for it. Remember: If it’s short, tweet it. If it’s more than a sentence, blog it.
Don’t forget to link between your social media accounts! Facebook should link to your blog which links to your website which links to everything and so and and so forth.
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Very well explained. My employer(who I write content for )is surely going to find these tips helpful. They recently took to facebook and are doing quite well-but the results are a bit slow. I shall send the team this list to help them see if they are doing things right. thanks for sharing!
Twitter: enstinemuki
September 8, 2012 at 10:33 pm
Hi Obaidul,
There are quite a number of Dos and Don’ts but quite frankly, you touched the essential points. Social medial seems to be easy at one moment but the truth, we need to go through a certain learning curve.
Great post and have a splendid weekend
Enstine Muki recently posted..11 reasons you are losing Repeat Visitors
Very useful !
#4 was recently illustrated for me (people surely don’t appreciate being ignored): A friend of mine praised a product he liked on the company’s Facebook page. Although he was energetic in his praises, no one bothered to Like or reply. He took his comment off and started looking for a different brand.
I appreciate your hard work and dedication of time and its also important for people to know. Nice sharing keep it up.
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I appreciate your hard work and dedication of time and its also important for people to know. Nice sharing keep it up.
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Hello, this is great, I love the way you have explained this! I definitely agree with you on some of your points and I am looking forward to testing some of these tips! Thank you for sharing- looking forward to reading some of your other posts!
Thanks for the great post! Your readers may get benefit from it..Hope to see more creative post from you!!
Hey, this is great information how we can work social media to our advantage. Thanks for the great share. Appreciate your efforts in the field.
Thank you for these tips, they are brilliant. I think that on social websites, people should always pay attention to their readers comments, to show the audience that you believe in your products and take into consideration what they have written.
Obaidul, thanks for these tips. Use of social media requires proper planning and it can make or break a brand. Any mistake done on social media platforms can cost a lot to the companies or even small business as well and hence I agree proper planning and care should be taken while using the social media accounts.
Thank you for sharing this post. I agree with all the tips that you have mentioned especially interacting effectively. People should take into consideration their readers comments, in order to thrive in the business world, and I agree that you need to plan and be organised.
The ideas you’ve shared here are fantastic and no doubt so great and it may really improve the variety of individuals visiting your website.
Hello, this post is great and extremely useful. I agree with all the tips mentioned and agree that social media is all about interacting effectively. Without a great interaction with others, you are not going to increase the amount of visitors you get.
Hello, this a very useful post, I remember when I was just a beginner to the whole process of blogging and I was going in the complete wrong direction about things and I was actually doing a lot of the ‘don’t’ that are stated in this so this is a great source of guidance for any newcomers! Some good tips, totally agree with you here, Thanks for the share.
Thanks for the engrossing read. Engagement may only be successfully fulfilled if we make an effort to make the entire experience interactive and enjoyable for our readers and online fans. It’s important to go the extra mile to make them feel valued.
Twitter: sanjibinkiit
September 28, 2012 at 7:57 am
Hi,
This list of mistakes is great and complete. I do not think, can add to it. Promoting others’ stuff sounds suicidal but is purely personal. If it has some benefits for you,it is fine.
Regards,
Sanjib Saha
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Twitter: ewmahendra
October 12, 2012 at 4:52 pm
Linkedin can be a powerful social media tool if it is used correctly and one way to use it correctly is to grab eyeballs right away.
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Twitter: itemspecs
October 15, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Wow Obaidul Haque its really great info for newbies like me i was looking for some sort of help about social media to promote my newly created blog and here you are its very nice of you to post such a great article about social media i am looking forward for more useful stuff from you thanks and keep up the good work…
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Twitter: VaporECigarette
October 27, 2012 at 8:43 pm
At first glance it seemings horrifying to like or interact with your competitors, but I can see how this would be extremely crucial… and maybe healthy for future joint ventures and content sharing. Well informed post Mr. Haque
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I extremely agree from number 3. Many just share and post like this and that but the content has low quality.
The points you have stressed here are so true! People often misuse and abuse social media. I see them spamming social media like crazy. Be thankful for we have a very nice platform where we can come together, communicate and interact.
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Yeah , using social media is good way for marketing your brand . But how to using properly way is hard
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Twitter: m_ali_hafiz
December 20, 2012 at 10:08 am
very interesting points especially the one concerned with optimizing social media pages, i have never thought of that.. it’s an eye opener
thanks for sharing.
Twitter: DrewNelson1
December 25, 2012 at 11:20 pm
I think it is a good idea to have two social media “personas”, so you don’t slam your REAL friends with posts and promotions…no reason to get un-friended!
Twitter: mobilefireunits
January 25, 2013 at 9:55 pm
This is a great post with some great tips for businesses leveraging social media. The best tip that relates to me is don’t respond late. If a visitor or customer takes the time to visit your social profile and leave a comment, a business should be active on the page and respond to comments. So try and keep as active as you can because who knows you could be missing out on your potential best client.
Yeah off course Social media has great influence these days and best way to promotion and Marketing. I appreciate your point 5, 7 . Nice piece of writing
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Social media has become very popular these days . Every company is giving much stress on social media for popularity . I am agree with your tips that you have mentioned and the most which i like is ” Don’t Lie ” .Its exactly .
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Absolutely correct, social media is great valuable to all businesman it develop your image and little mistake damages your work also…. Thanks for giving helpful tips….
Yeah of Course , using social media is good way for marketing your brand and target your prospects.
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Twitter: sanumed
March 5, 2013 at 6:36 pm
Thank you Obaidul Sir for letting me know do’s and don’ts social media users.I really likes your 7th number.Awesome post.Keep it up sir
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Twitter: robots_chile
March 11, 2013 at 9:20 pm
wow ! great post bro
make regular updates like this
anyway nice post and blog too
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good and informative article on dos and donts of social media thanks
Interesting news . It would be great if you can provide more details about it. Thanks you
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Twitter: allinonetech01
March 20, 2013 at 11:22 am
These tips are very useful. These social media sites can increase your site’s reputation and also reach in public.
Very interesting and informative post.Can you tell me? how do I increase visitors on my blog?
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Twitter: Allxpats
May 16, 2013 at 7:57 pm
I’m guessing you are new to blogging? When I began I asked everyone the same question, the problem is there is not a simple answer.
A few obvious ideas:
1. Start a FB & Twitter Page – Started mine 11 months ago got 4000 likes
2. What you’re doing now, comment for links. – Every page, not just homepage
3. Update your blog at least 2 times a week. – I update mine 3 times daily
4. Submit site to article directories – just type in on Google for list
5. Once getting traffic, start forums
A Few not so obvious:
1. Add a privacy policy to your site – Gets you Moztrust
2. Always have one Google add on your site – you help them, they help you
3. Create a Google Plus Page – You help them, they help you
4. Add links on Yahoo Answers & Trip Adviser Forums – Traffic & Good links
5. Don’t overdue Affiliate programs, search engines do not like this.
Using the above I went from 4 per day from Google 11 months ago to 500 from Google and 300 from Social Media per day today.
Best of luck, 90% of bloggers give up in the first 3 months. Hopefully you will be in that 10%!
Twitter: korwilcom
March 24, 2013 at 6:37 pm
thanks for the great article. Social media is definitely a large point in my business right now and I am looking for best practices.
I appreciate the information.
Hi Admin,
Your article on the topic 10 Do’s and Don’ts for Social Media Users includes the information that i was looking for.
Your post includes great tips and you managed to keep it simple and understandable.
Your post helps me to understand what [Article Title or Topic Title] really is, and i will surely recommend it to other people.
Thanks and keep up the good work.
Twitter: muweezlabs
March 31, 2013 at 9:30 am
Edge of social media is very much important now a days and without its support you can’t get results on the web like promotion of new business and getting reputation.
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Hi admin
After reading your post i have a better understanding of what 10 Do’s and Don’ts for Social Media Users really is.
Your post have the information that is helpful and very informative. I would like you to keep up the good work.
You know how to make your post understandable for most of the people.
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Thumbs up and Thanks.
i agree with you, this is an very important info and it is very useful tip, thanks for sharing..
Twitter: basicblogtalk
April 9, 2013 at 9:24 am
The list is not only the social media do and don’t but I thinks this the effective social media strategy which all bloggers have to follow in order to get online presented. I love #1 and #6 the most of these list
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Its always good to learn tips like you share for blog posting. As I just started posting comments for blog and facing problem of lots of rejections. I think your suggestion would be helpful for me. I will let you know if its work for me too.
Thanks for the perfect writeup ..after the updates of google algorithms social media is a key element for getting sites back on track a ery good ana a neat writeup
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Wonderful post.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is really a great article which will really help all the bloggers & specially new bloggers .
make regular updates like this.
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Twitter: couponzoot
May 2, 2013 at 9:58 am
Great post Bro, especially the stuff on attracting visually using Pinterest.
I’ll definitely look into them. I had always thought Alexa was a fee based service, so I lazily assumed the rest were, too. Now that that myth has been busted, I’m going to have to check them out. Thanks so much.
Interesting news . It would be great if you can provide more details about it. Thanks you
Awesome Article so knowledgeable all points are great. I LIKE all points it’s so helpful my work. yes now days social media is a gigantic promotional platform. Thank You to share me this great post to help enhance my knowledge and boost my work.
Twitter: muweezlabs
May 16, 2013 at 8:37 am
thanks for the great article. Social media is definitely a large point in my business right now and I am looking for best practices.
Twitter: Allxpats
May 16, 2013 at 7:38 pm
I have to admit I am guilty of number 5! Not very good at promoting others unless it is in return for the same thing.
Thanks, great content and nicely set out! Keep it up!
I think .. its needed to online business or online earning .. and reading different online books …
SEO Consultant
Twitter: RichardEaves13
May 23, 2013 at 7:00 am
Hi Obaidul,
You presented some really good points regarding what a business should and shouldn’t do on social media. Interacting with followers, sharing valuable content, and responding on time are good ways to increase presence on networking platforms.
Thanks,
Richard Eaves
Thank you very much, Your information is very helpful. Your blog contains a lot of great posts.
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Twitter: lyricstaal
May 23, 2013 at 8:10 pm
Awesome content, and yes I follow back my competitors!
BTW what’s the name of this plugin, floating with social media icons?
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Twitter: debatepopular
May 25, 2013 at 12:30 am
Exelentes all tips. Important to provide current and global issues where users can contribute and for that we must be informed and it is not just share but make an impact.
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