The Do’s and Don’ts of Business Marketing
If you are a new business owner who is just starting out in the wide open world of business marketing, there are a few handy Do’s and Don’ts that can give you an excellent start if followed. Here a few of the most obvious ones to get you started.
Do establish an account on all of the major social media network sites, as well as your own official company website. Make sure you update all of these areas regularly with updates, new content, and the occasional “How are you?” Don’t use these areas to spam people to death. You don’t need to post updates on your latest items 20 times a day, or beg people to share them. The more people see the same post over and over again, the more likely they are to unfollow or unfriend you altogether. Do respond occasionally to comments on your social media pages. If you get a nice testimonial from a customer, feel free to say “Thank you!” And if you receive a complaint from a customer, feel free to let them know that you are working on the problem in order to resolve it. Don’t respond to every single comment you get on your social media pages. You don’t have the time or the energy. And you’ll look silly in front of millions of people if you argue with a 13 year old who has nothing better to do than troll your page. Do post holiday themed updates and “Happy Holidays” type material. It’s Christmas or New Year’s or St. Patrick’s Day, all of which are perfect times to have a little fun and post a nice message that also serves as a timely reminder to customers that your business is right there with them enjoying the special day. Don’t go off message with personal posts that are divisive or sectarian in nature. Don’t get too religious or too political. Don’t make sarcastic or tasteless jokes about your competitors. Such comments possess serious potential to snowball into a public relations nightmare and drive away customers.
There are plenty of other Do’s and Don’ts that a young business professional will do well to keep in mind when starting out on social media. The rule of thumb should always be common sense. If you don’t feel 100 positive about doing something, don’t do it. Let your conscience — and the reaction from your public — be your guide. Jonah Engler is a financial guru from New York.