It is challenging to disconnect from social media
We are not here to judge if your social media utilization is good or bad. You know it already.
We are all connected to social media, whatever our age or profession. We then found it essential to talk about the basics and question our presence on social media. Last November, Lush, a bath and body company, deleted all its social media accounts. Why? Because of the danger of using social media, whether it is on security or mental health level.
Of course, it might be easier for businesses like Lush to boycott social media since they have shops worldwide and their clientele basis is well established. However, it is not the case for all small businesses and entrepreneurs. Even if we would like to avoid it, we need to use social media to promote our products and services, except if you live in a small town and create something for this specific community. It is why we wanted to share some good practices to adopt on social media.
A few bad practices regarding social media
First, let’s talk about some practices that can annoy your followers.
You need to remember that your followers follow many accounts, not only yours. It can indeed be challenging to manage the publications of many businesses, but some changes could be beneficial to users and community managers.
To start with, you need to be careful regarding advertising harassment. We understand that you invested a lot of time and energy in your project. You surely want to monetize it. Believe us; it is not how you will increase your sales. The people you target will only be tired of seeing the same ads over and over on their news feed.
That brings us to the number of publications. It is easier said than done but do not publish too often or rarely. All you need is 3 to 4 publications per week. Moreover, only publish if you have something relevant to share. Regarding the content of your publications, think about using a comprehensive and straightforward vocabulary.
Also, be careful regarding your humor: many brands want to use humor, but it does not always work. If it is welcomed, then good for you; however, if it is not, beware of backfiring. Therefore, it is better to stay professional on social media. Things and trends go quickly on social media, and they can be misinterpreted. A good example of this is the Burger King campaign stating that women should go back in the kitchen. The main goal was to encourage women to become professional cooks, but as you may guess, it did not end well.
It may sound unimportant, but remember that your followers see hundreds of publications every day. If everybody publishes the same content, people will quickly get bored.
A few good practices regarding social media
What can you do to avoid losing followers or bore them?
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What are your main goals?
First, you need to define your goals by asking yourself why you want to be on social media. What will it bring to your business? It is also believed that you need to be on all social media platforms to be popular. In fact, this is false. It is useless to spend hours creating content for a platform that does not bring you anything. Careful: we are not saying that you must not try any social media, but monitor if you need TikTok, Instagram or Facebook. What does your buyer persona say?
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Display the values of your business
Do not forget that when you create an account, it will be a public account that you will need to manage. Be conscious that you will have a certain influence on your followers and that your content can be shared, recorded, or seen in a few seconds. Also, we strongly recommend you avoid publishing personal comments since they will be all linked to your brand if it goes wrong.
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Do not try to sell at all costs
You indeed want to use social media to sell your products, but as mentioned above, users do not like having a news feed full of ads. Remember that you are also on social media to help, inform, entertain, and collaborate with your followers. Do not forget to publish quality content!
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Encourage disconnection
It is a trend most popular with Generation Z. This generation, which is very active on social media, needs to disconnect from time to time. It is a trend that was started by many influencers. Therefore, why not try to influence your followers the good way by showing that you care about them and their psychological health? For example, you can inform them that you will be absent for a few days and offer them to do the same. When you return, reconnect with your audience by publishing a picture of what you have been up to during your time off. Of course, it is not recommended to do this every week; you should avoid being repetitive.
In conclusion, there are no magic formulas to become a social media star, but you will increase your chances of success by adopting good practices. Be careful to publish adequate and relevant content and how you communicate with your community.