Although the majority of the online world is unrestrained and uninhibited, the same cannot be applied to communities under the social media realm. After all, these platforms are often controlled by large corporations and used by millions—if not billions—of people every day.
For that reason, certain rules and regulations—or as we prefer to call it ‘social media etiquette’—are imposed upon users to keep the peace and prevent the chaos that might drive people away from the site.
However, if you think that these standards are only applicable to individuals, then you’ve never been more wrong in your life. Since businesses often have more influence and reach over people on a particular social website, they’re under more intense scrutiny—and not only by the owners of the site but more so by the users and customers who follow them online.
Belittle these guidelines and you risk being ‘cancelled’ or ‘boycotted.’ All the years and money you dedicated to digital marketing in the Philippines wasted after a slip-up that could have been largely prevented.
That’s why to better help you navigate the intricacies of social media, we’ve created a list of the things you should and shouldn’t be doing online.
- Separate Your Business and Personal Profiles
When it comes to working, it’s a must to separate your personal and professional life. After all, not doing so could make things needlessly complicated.
For your social media pages, it’s not that different. It’s also essential that you keep your brand’s page free of anything personal about you. By doing this, you make it easier for customers and users to know which profile to follow.
You’ll also appear more consistent by keeping things detached, especially when it comes to content. And more importantly, you can avoid having intimate aspects of your life out there for all to see—who knows what they might do with it.
- Complete Your About Page
The first thing that users and potential customers go to when visiting business profiles is the About Page. With that said, you must keep your business details up-to-date and complete. This way, potential customers will be able to reach you more conveniently—be it through your physical store, website, virtual shop, mobile phone, and others.
Completing your profile also makes you more trustworthy, giving people a better impression of your brand from the get-go.
- Be Cautious of What You Share
On social media, what you post becomes a representation of your brand. On that note, you should always be cautious of the things you share online, especially if it’s about a very divisive issue or topic.
Also, make it a habit to double-check the information written on your posts. Fake information is rampant nowadays and being tagged as a spreader of ‘fake news’ will be detrimental to your business’ image.
- Responsiveness is Key
Social media is all about connecting with people. With that said, you should always keep in touch with the people who follow your brand’s socials, especially existing customers and potential buyers. Be ready for concerns or questions they may have and issue an appropriate response every time.
If you refuse to interact online, you should be ready for the consequences—complaints or even a boycott.
- Be Open to Criticism
When you’re a brand or a business, it’s natural that many will have things to say about your product or service. Sometimes it’ll be praise but other times criticism and complaints. However, you mustn’t lose heart. Instead, use this as inspiration to be better.
Always choose your words wisely, extend your patience, and understand where these negative sentiments are coming from. One wrong move could ruin your image for good. After all, the internet keeps receipts.
- Go Easy on the Hashtags
While hashtags may seem like the perfect way to gain attention when on social media, specifically when you want to target a particular topic or audience, they can also cause the opposite.
Instead of just using random words and phrases as hashtags, learn to choose ones that will sum up your post in the least amount of words. If you choose to use it excessively, your post will appear spammy rendering your content ineffective and for naught. The more straightforward, the better.
- Don’t Be Needy
Although your main purpose on social media is to sell your product or service, it’s not a good look to make it your brand’s personality. Regularly asking your audience to follow, like, and buy your products will make you appear desperate and needy, which will put off a lot of people.
We recommend just letting things naturally take their course and continue to provide quality content, regular posts, and authentic interactions.
- Say No to Spamming
If you’ve been the victim of spam emails, then you probably already know how it feels to constantly be bombarded with something that you don’t want.
Spamming on social media is the same in that respect. It’s businesses abusing the convenience of social media platforms to constantly be on the radar of people—without a justifiable reason.
And to be honest, you want no part of that. Business pages or profiles that do this often lose the trust and respect of their followers. It can also lead to being permanently blocked on their feed, which isn’t a good thing if you plan to use social media as a marketing avenue.
- Publish Platform-Appropriate Content
To make the most of your brand’s social media page, you need to know the kind of content that people want and are responsive to. And to be able to do that, there’s a need to familiarize yourself with the intended purpose of your chosen social media platform.
For example, those who use Instagram want content that is more visually appealing and lifestyle-oriented. On the other hand, those that use LinkedIn are more likely to respond to corporate content.
- Balance Selling with Helping
When on social media, you must find the right balance between marketing and assisting your consumers or target audience. After all, your page also serves as a help desk for your service or products.
Using your social page purely to market your brand will make you appear unnatural and stuck-up. It will also prevent you from forming an authentic bond with your existing and potential customers.
Meanwhile, interacting with patrons and entertaining their queries and concerns will help you develop a relationship of trust and make you appear more sociable and desirable.
On the off chance that you’re unable to do this, you can always rely on the expertise of social media management agencies in the Philippines. There are a lot of great companies to choose from. After all, the country is at the forefront of anything digital—be it social media, digital marketing, or other fields.
- Keep your Landing Pages Updated
Last but not least, you must keep your landing pages up-to-date with the latest standards, which Google sets. By going the extra mile to make your website and virtual store more convenient and easy to use, you make your brand more appealing to customers, especially when it comes to sales.
Your website and online store serve as one of the main faces of your brand, which is why it’s vital that you keep it refreshed. Apart from this, you also need to keep an eye on your rankings. Employing the help of SEO services in the Philippines would be the best way to go.
The Internet is Ever-Changing
While these tips will surely help you traverse the online world relatively unscathed, it’s important to note that the internet is ever-changing—and that includes social media. What works now may not work in the long run and vice versa.
On that note, you should always keep yourself open to change. Of course without sacrificing what you believe in and what your brand represents.
