Pew Research studies in 2015 indicated that 65% of American adults and 76% of all online Americans had joined a social network. In other words, the amount of online connecting with, listening to, following, LIKING, sharing and collaboration happening not only in this country but around the globe is nothing less than staggering.
Many social media users utilize the plethora of social platforms for personal reasons, sharing recipes, pictures, and ideas or simply as a means to stay in touch with family and friends. But every year, more business profiles pop up as the business world recognizes the disadvantages associated with not having a social networking presence. It’s safe to say that social networking has completely rewritten the manual on how consumers and businesses interact.
Whether your social media endeavors are for reasons of a personal or business nature, or both as is the case for many folks, it’s prudent to be mindful of social networking etiquette.
The #1 cardinal rule is to make a distinction between a personal and a business profile. If you think a one-profile-fits-all proposition will work, nix that idea right now.
A personal profile is the place for:
*Birthday party invites, game invites, or other time wasting posts (or pleas!)
*New grandbaby photo albums
*The sharing of pics from the 50’s block party, Grandma and Gramps 60th anniversary bash, the vacation in the Bahamas as well as the wedding photo your
teenaged offspring scanned and dared to share on your timeline
*The routines-of-daily-life announcements such as, “WOW, the laundry’s finally done!” are strictly a personal profile kind of thing.
And even though this is a personal account, run all posts, pics, shares, tweets, etc., through the criteria of whether you’d be comfortable with a future boss, current client or potential clients reading or seeing said posts, shares, pics, tweets. Fun is okay but keep it clean and respectful.
The second and third cardinal rules are very simple, yet they trip up a surprising number of people. Remember you’re a grown-up—act accordingly—and be professional. These tenets encompass such things as:
*Choosing a screen name that represents you and the company well.
*If posting a review, make it a genuine review.
*Composing posts, updates or tweets in a word processing document for the benefit of checking grammar and spelling before posting.
*Refraining from bad mouthing the competition or colleagues
It’s imperative to remember that both your personal and business profile represent you to the world. Ensure all profiles display the kind of person you want to be known for.
ASJ Partner’s social media experts can guide you through the maze that has become our socially connected world and assist you in reaping the many benefits of connecting with both clients and customers via social networking opportunities. Contact our team today.
