Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Social Media Etiquette

Time for another etiquette blog! Although all of them are important, this one is becoming more and more important every day as more and more people, especially businesses, join social media sites.

I just recently gave a presentation for one of my classes about the benefits of social media marketing. From a business standpoint, social media websites are the newest, quickest, and most cost effective way to advertise and get feedback about the new products and services companies offer. But from what I have seen, many companies don't really have a grasp on the idea of marketing with social media. Many seem to think that the more they can make their name show up on a website, such as Facebook or Twitter, the more it will help their company. This is just the start. Sara Carter, a writer for Social Media Today, posted a list of social media do's and don'ts that cover many of the problems that I have seen.

Social media, even in marketing, is a two-way street. Not only should it be used to advertise, it should be used to receive feedback, should it be questions about your product(s) or suggestions to make your product(s) better. Marketers need to remember that they are not only marketing a product, but they are also marketing their company. In order to do this effectively, they need to respond to feedback, good or bad, quickly and in a positive attitude in order to keep their customers pleased and show them that they appreciate them.

Also, marketers need to stop pushing the sale so much. I know that I get on Facebook in order to communicate with my friends. I don't want to be bombarded with advertisements that say "Boy do I have a deal for you!" Sometimes less is more, and if you want me to actually pay attention to you, don't get all in my face (or all over my news feed for that matter) trying to push your business. Make me feel like you are there to help ME and not YOU.

My post briefly summarizes her article, but I urge you (especially if you are a business man or woman using social media to market yourself or your company) to read what she has to say fully. So here is the link.

Thanks for reading!







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