5 Simple Social Media Rules

Doing Social Media Without a Strategy? You're gonna have a bad time. 

Oh Wonka. You really do have a meme for everything. 

Now, social Media can be a cost-effective way to increase your business/company's following and client base. It's one of the best platforms to assist in generating buzz about your products and services and expand your company. Here are some simple rules to follow for when you decide to take the leap on to the corporate social media sphere bandwagon. 

Be kind to others.

Social media is about building an engaged community of followers who may frequent your business. Engage with these people on a personal level. Be their friend. Talk with them and not at them.

One at a time, kids!

You may be tempted to jump aboard all the social media ships (there's Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Pinterest, the list is endless..), but do you or your staff really have time for all this? My guess is no. 

Figure out where your audience is and start there. It's far better to build an engaged following on a single network, than to have inactive profiles on several networks.

Inside voices, now. 

Social Media is not about advertising. Posting Facebook messages about how great your company is and why your products are the best may seem like a great thing to do, but it's not. Marketers need to quash any urges to use their advertising voices here. It's like shouting at your customers through a megaphone when you should be conversing over a cup of coffee.

Ask and answer customers questions, post polls, and invite customers to post stories about your business. Tell customers about your news and specials, but make sure you talk about other things too.

Play by the rules.

Be sure you know the rules of the networks you use and play within them. There are great, cost-effective contest and promotion applications you can use to host giveaways on Facebook, so check them if you want to offer a giveaway. Offering a free widget or coupon to everyone who likes your company on Facebook may help to gain followers, but it's also against Facebook's rules and can cause the network to shut down your page. This would force you to build your following all over again.

Practice patience.

Just like Rome wasn't built in a day, successful social media programs do not happen overnight. But, the payoff is worth it in the long run. Don't give up and don't be swayed by trolls.