The Small Business Social Media Rulebook (Or What Not to Do)

So you’ve got your social media profiles: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest… but what comes next? While it’s very easy to take the first steps in the world of social media, it’s certainly not clear exactly what your strategy should be. So rather than stumbling in the dark, we’ve compiled a list of the top rules for small business social media that should give you a helping hand.

Keep it regular

Just like any other form of communication coming out of your business, it’s important to keep it on a regular schedule. The same can be said for social media. There are few things worse than happening upon a business Facebook page that hasn't been updated for a year or more, and it can actually damage your reputation and prevent future custom. So be sure that you post to all of your social media profiles at least once per week, but preferably even more.

Don’t mix business and pleasure

Here’s an issue you may see with start-ups, sole traders, and very small businesses. Because social media business profiles are often inherently linked with the personal profile of the business owner, it’s possible that they almost begin using the business profile like their own. For example, if you’re a football fan but you run a shoe company, there is very little value in sharing ‘Come on you blues!’ with your social audience. In fact, it’s a very good way to reduce the size of that audience – so keep things nice and separated.

Remain responsive

Whether it’s a compliment or a complaint, when a customer or prospect reaches out to you via social media, you can’t ignore them. This is especially true in the case of complaints, as these give you an opportunity to prove that your business is reasonable, thoughtful, and really cares about its customers. Even if it stings a little having to admit to fault, it’s far better to do that than to leave the post unanswered as it spreads virally across the network. It’s an easy mistake to make, but the consequences can be dire.

Never, ever, buy an audience

 In the early days, when the number of followers or likes is in the low figures, it can be very tempting to ‘buy’ an audience. There are sites out there that will promise you X thousand likes for just a few pounds. The golden rule applies: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The issue is that the fake likes often come from some far-flung country, making your page insights look strange. In addition, these fake likes and follows will never engage with your page or care about what you’re posting. So you may as well be yelling into the wind. It might be tempting, but just don’t do it.

Social media can be one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. When implemented alongside a comprehensive CRM & FSM platform like AutoVu, you can really streamline your business strategy.