Giving your seat up for an older person on the bus. Listening to music without earphones in the library. Using the magic words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ while talking to a waiter at a restaurant. RSVPing for an event, then not showing up. There’s a mix of good and bad etiquettes in everyday life and in virtual life as well. The social media has its own set of guidelines that brands must adhere to to maintain a good reputation online.

Basic Social Media Etiquettes

Brands are under a lot of online scrutinies, now more than ever. Any single misstep can mean months of online ridicule. For instance, you can’t just delete negative, 1-star reviews anymore. Furthermore, expectations differ from platform to platform. 

A brand retweeting a popular tweet is okay, reposting someone’s Instagram post without seeking permission explicitly is not. Broadly, there are some basic do’s and don’ts that brands should follow while interacting online:

• Avoid excessive advertisements – Don’t go around DM-ing every single person to buy your product. Your social media pages should be a healthy mix of promotional and educational content.
• Refrain from mudslinging – Nobody likes brands bad-mouthing other brands. It just sends a signal that you are all flash-and-no-substance and can’t compete on qualitative terms.
• Be true to yourself – Every brand has a unique voice and personality. And customers recognize that. Don’t stray away from being your authentic, genuine self – be it quirky, thoughtful, or no-nonsense.

Let us now take a detailed look at five social media etiquettes for brands in 2020:

Five Social Media Etiquettes For Brands in 2020

1. Go easy on the auto-responses. 

Yes, AI has come up by leaps and bounds in the past few years but remember, we’re still a long way away from sentience. So, even though bots are great to automate social media responses, they’re still a little dumb when it comes to reading the room. To come across as prompt and timely, there have been countless examples of brand bots tweeting something tone-deaf like “Hey, we’re glad you enjoyed the experience!” in response to sarcastic trolls, pinpointing a flaw in the service. Ditch the bot for 1-on-1 conversations or private messages. Enable it for comments after you’ve personally replied to a bunch of them. Be human in your communication, not robotic.

 

2. Limit the number of hashtags

#There’s #nothing #more #irritating #than #reading #something #like #this. Hashtags are great for boosting product discoverability. Embedding a few popular, high-traffic hashtags in your post can attract followers and help people find your brand. But make sure you don’t go berserk with your hashtags as you just come across as desperate, and your core message gets diluted.

 

3. Reply to negative reviews.

Psychologists say that the best way to tackle conflict is head-on. Ergo, if someone posts a negative review or calls you out on your service, man up and own up to your mistakes. It humanizes your brand and shows people you’re gracious enough to admit mistakes and are open to change and improve. Ignoring, or worse, deleting the review will only make matters worse. Always keep the tone humble, empathic, and respectful while dealing with an angry reviewer.

 

4. Don’t over-post

We all have that one friend who’s constantly in our face, updating us about every small detail of their day. It can get annoying, nay, borderline suffocating. Steer clear of oversharing. Nothing makes a person unfollow a brand faster than being inundated with its posts throughout the day. 

 

5. Credit where it’s due 

Plagiarism, even if unintentional, is a social media cardinal sin. There is nothing wrong with hijacking someone else’s post as long as you give proper credit to the original poster. You should explicitly ask for permission, embed their social handles in the post image, or tag them in the description. This will not only win you a new fan but also help you score brownie points with your existing followers.

 

Hopefully, these tips will come in handy the next time you interact with people on social media. Conduct yourself with grace online, and people will come to respect and value you as a brand.

 

Tags: Content Marketing, Digital Advertising, Digital Marketing, digital marketing tips, Social Media, Social Media Analysis, Social media etiquette, Social Media Marketing, Social media tips, social media trends, Social Media Tricks