As I spend most of my days knee deep and data as well as interacting with people regarding how they should be spending their time online during the day, I get a whole bunch of crazy ideas of people thinking that updating statuses and making semi entertaining comments on people’s photos is “social media marketing.” And it’s because of this people think that once they have received the green light from the marketing department to start an initiative or campaign, their daily routine can fly out the door and anytime a network is open, you are “networking.” What I want to outline is some of the guidelines I use to make sure I play by the organisation’s rules regarding participating as well as doing it properly.
Set Aside Time in Your Day
If you do not set aside the appropriate time in the day, and just leave the networks running in the background you will definitely not be productive. Spend a week making notes when the majority of your network is online, or even see if you can figure out the patterns of some of the people you really want to get in touch with. Then build your social media timetable around that. I try to spend no more than 1 hour per day across all the networks during office hours.
Reread Every Update Before Posting
None of the major social networks allow you to cancel an updated submission once you press send. Whilst you can delete it, you never know that someone could have got a RT in or taken a screenshot in that spilt second. So for every second you spend typing that update, spend the same amount of time to proof read it. You will be surprised how many mistakes you can make in 140 characters.
Read Your Companies Policies
If you are being social on the corporate dime, make sure you play by the rules. You have heard all of the horror stories of people getting fired or reprimanded from their social updates, and you might think your immune. Trust me, you aren’t. They will find it, scold you, then show you the door. Think of it like being caught out on a date with your mate’s girlfriend behind his back.
Separate Business & Pleasure
Everyone likes to have fun on the weekend, and some people like to have a little bit too much fun. But if you fun ends up on the company feed, I doubt there will be much fun left when Monday arrives. I setup fake names and cartoon photos with accounts that only my close friends and family have access to. That way you will never really know what I get up to on the weekends, or when I am not posting on the blog.
Nothing I am saying here is ground breaking, but if you are a new player in the social media game, and you want your staff to know what is expected, show them this post. Or if you are an employer, what do you have setup to make sure your staff don’t abuse social media?
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