5 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Presence Without Losing Credibility

Even the smallest of businesses understand that in order to thrive in the modern world of marketing, they need to develop engaging social media. In other words, you can’t come across too stiff or push your brand too hard, like an online salesperson. Some marketers make the mistake of going too far in the other direction, though, and it seems like unprofessional kids are running a company’s social media account. Avoid the negative stigma of being too silly, which comes along with the potential for being offensive, while still maintaining a more personable image online.

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Post Memes Less Often

Memes on the Internet dominate the social media landscape because they’re often funny and relatable. However, sometimes they’re offensive, too. Other times they use copyrighted photos to make their points, and using a copyrighted image could land your company in hot water from the copyright holders. Use memes if you want to keep the tone of your company’s profile light, but do so effectively:

• Post no more than two meme images per week
• Make sure the jokes are relevant to your brand and the image you want your company to give off
• Don’t share memes that are so popular everyone’s already seen them

Feel free to put a twist on a current meme if it’ll make the post more applicable to your brand, and be careful to use your own images.

READ OUT MY POSTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Building a Fully Engaged Audience with Social Media – Part 1 of 3

Building a Fully Engaged Audience with Social Media – Part 2 of 3

Building a Fully Engaged Audience with Social Media – Part 3 of 3

Tone Down the Jokes

Humor can go a long way when it connects with your targeted consumer base, but it can also offend or fall flat, both of which will prove disastrous to your company’s image. Before you post any jokes, let several people at your company read them over. Once you agree a joke is inoffensive, funny and connected to the message you’re pushing, go ahead and post it, but don’t post jokes more than a few times per week.

Don’t Jump Into Follower Discussions

Avoid jumping into discussions people are having about your brand even if you’re tagged into the conversation. The one exception is when the customers ask you to respond directly. If you can tell someone is talking about you in a negative way, you might come across as defensive if you jump in and ask if you can resolve the problem. If they’re talking about you in a positive way, they may appreciate your thanks. However, don’t make a habit of responding to their posts afterward, as your company may seem like it’s paying too close attention to people’s private conversations.

Don’t Passively Post

Social media is about engaging people, not bombarding them with messages. Actively encourage discussion instead of passively posting as much as possible. For example, if you sell mattresses, you might ask people to post about their best night’s sleep. If you want customers to feel like their opinion matters, you might ask them to name their favorite product or service of yours. Post a meme and you might get a “like” or a “share,” but soon your post is forgotten. A discussion post lives for some time.

Forbes reports 60 percent of small businesses believe the time and money they invest in social media marketing doesn’t bring in business. Ineffectively using social media will prove a time waster, and it could actually turn customers away. However, if your potential customers see you as genuinely interested in what customers have to say without seeming unprofessional, your business’s social media presence could prove an integral part of your marketing strategy.