SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Social Media Etiquette for Business Owners: 25 Do’s & Don’ts

Travis Balinas

February 2, 2021

The constant evolution of social media can make it difficult to stay on top of etiquette and best practices
for those platforms, especially if you’re an infrequent user. Each social media platform has various
nuances that act as unwritten usage rules. When you break one of those rules, you run the risk of
looking unprofessional and leaving a negative impression on your audience.

When it comes to social media etiquette for business, behavior and what to do or not do, it takes
practice to fully understand how these tips apply to your day-to-day behavior. Here are 25 do’s and
don’ts when it comes to social media etiquette for business:

1. DO: Complete and update your social pages and profiles.

First impressions are important and lasting. Think of your social media accounts as your digital first
impression. Social media accounts that are only partially completed automatically appear less
professional. Take a few minutes to thoughtfully fill out all your profile information, including contact
information, and upload good quality profile and cover photos.

2. DO: Separate business and personal accounts.

When building a brand, it helps to keep your personal and professional pages separate on social media.
By being consistent with the types of content you share via your business profile, your clients know
which account to follow. You also avoid spamming friends and family that follow you for personal
updates.

For example, a link to your latest blog post should come from your business page and a video of your
dog in the backyard should come from your personal page.
3. DO: Share thoughtfully.

What you post becomes a representation of you and your business. Be proud of who you are and what
you represent as a business while staying aware of the image you’re crafting as a result of the content
you share.

Use this infographic from HootSuite as a guide if you’re unsure your content is a fit.

Also Read: 5 Crucial Elements for Writing Great Social Media Posts

4. DO: Post regularly.

This boils down to the big question: how often should you engage with your online community? This can
vary depending on your business and industry, but it a good rule of thumb is at least once or twice a
week. OutboundEngine posts about 2-3 times a week on behalf of customers. This keeps fresh content
front and center while freeing up our clients’ time. Clients are able to post on their own and are
encouraged to do so.

5. DO: Prioritize your networks.

It may be tempting to try every new social media platform that sprouts up, but it’s dangerous to spread
yourself too thin. To start, focus on the social networks where you know your customers are. More than
likely, that’s Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, maybe Twitter. Providing quality content via these
outlets is worth your time and effort, no matter your industry.

6. DO: Interact with your audience.

Providing helpful content is nice, but it’s not all social media has to offer. Interacting with your followers
is also key.

See a question or comment on Twitter that you can answer? Send the person a friendly reply.

Looking for recommendations? Ask your Facebook audience.

Did someone mention you, tag you, retweet you or share your post? Give them a quick like and a
comment!
Build connections online just like you would in person.

For example, here’s a Twitter exchange between OutboundEngine and Startup Games:

Neither company is promoting anything particular, but simply having a friendly exchange. Interacting
with others boosts your legitimacy and gets you exposed to a wider audience, so don’t be afraid to jump
in.

7. DON’T: Be needy.

Don’t constantly ask your Twitter followers to “please retweet,” or beg your Facebook friends to “like”
your page every week. It’s perfectly acceptable to let your followers on personal accounts know that you
have business pages and what they can expect if they follow you. But be strategic. You can still
accomplish those tasks, but you’re better off earning them with helpful, shareworthy content.

8. DON’T: Be a spammer.

Retweeting, liking, commenting, posting, and sharing is great, but keep everything in moderation.
Nobody wants their social media feeds to be filled by a single account. For example, don’t join 20 groups
on LinkedIn and post the same self-promotional message in all of them, and then never interact with
members again. Don’t mass-follow random Twitter users in the hopes they will follow you back. Don’t
post promotional content in places where self-promotion is not allowed. That’s not the impression you
want to leave.

9. DO: Handle criticism gracefully.

Should you run into an issue that causes a flurry of criticism on social media, the worst thing you can do
is try and hide from it. Try and respond the best you can, and don’t become defensive. An overreaction
to criticism can quickly go viral (in a bad way). Work to remedy the issue and let those who cared about
it online know when it’s resolved.

Also read: How to Handle Negative Reviews and Keep the Online Bullies at Bay

10. DON’T: Complain.

All businesses see their ups and downs, but complaining about customer interactions or when a business
transaction didn’t go as planned should not be part of your social media strategy. Remember, you’re
trying to distinguish yourself from competitors. This can be a way to stand out in a less than ideal way. If
potential customers see how you talk about others, they may think twice about wanting to do business
with you.

11. DO: Help more than you sell.

Though you’re in business to make money, that shouldn’t be the focus of the vast majority of your social
media posts. Keep the 80/20 rule in mind here: 80 percent of the content you post or share should be
entertaining or informative, while no more than 20 percent of your social media communication should
directly relate to the goods or services you provide.

12. DO: Match your content to the platform.

Each social media site has its own intended purpose and audience. Understanding this and matching
your content and tone to the proper social media outlet is imperative for success.

Here’s a breakdown:

Facebook is casual and focused on connections. Don’t be afraid to join relevant groups and engage with
others. Keep it friendly!

LinkedIn’s focus is on business professionals, and the content shared there tends to reflect that. For
example, it’s not the best place to share photos of your kids.

Twitter handles rapid-fire conversation between both businesses and individuals, but the character limit
means it’s best for shorter posts.

Instagram is the perfect place to share something visual, such as a real estate agent’s house listing or a
baker’s custom treats.

If you have video creation skills and some time on your hands, consider trying TikTok and/or YouTube.
TikTok focuses on bite-sized, entertaining video content, while YouTube is best for longer-form video.
You can give tips related to your industry, answer FAQs, give virtual tours… the sky’s the limit.

13. DO: Watch your grammar and spelling.

The occasional grammar mistake or spelling error isn’t the end of the world, but don’t let it become a
pattern. To help avoid mistakes, prep your social media updates in a document or spreadsheet with spell
check. You can also ask a colleague to proofread before you share.

Pro tip: Read your post out loud before sharing to catch any missing words or tough-to-understand
sentences.

14. DO: Be visual.

Photos and videos can boost your social media engagement. Tweets that feature images earn 150
percent more retweets, are liked 89 percent more and lead to 18 percent more clicks. If your industry
relies heavily on visuals (like real estate or interior design), consider adding social media platforms based
on visual engagement, like Instagram, to your marketing repertoire.

15. DON’T: WRITE IN ALL CAPS.

ARE YOU MAD AT ME? DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG? Stop with the all caps! Not only are they visually
alarming, but they also communicate that you’re upset, angry or aggressive. Reserve this style of writing
for occasional single-word emphasis, like when something is REALLY important. Always be aware of the
tone you’re setting with your words.

16. DO: Location tag other businesses.

Social media is all about sharing. This means supporting favorite restaurants, businesses, and other
stops while you’re out and about. Be sure you add your location to your Instagram photo or Facebook
status so people know where you were and, more importantly, how they can get there. This is an all-
around good move to support other business owners and raise your brand awareness within the
community.
View this post on Instagram

Every Wednesday Chef Buddy @bemorepacific shares his own take on American “wing night”, featuring
his own secret recipes of jumbo chicken wings marinated and battered in homemade spicy coconut
curry lime; sweet chili sauces; and Sinigang parmesan rub.

A post shared by Austin Food Magazine (online) (@austinfoodmagazine) on Jan 29, 2019 at 6:42pm PST

17. DON’T: #Abuse #Hashtags

Adding appropriate hashtags connects your post to all other posts on that topic and with that hashtag.
It’s a convenient way to categorize and search content on social media networks. That said, don’t turn
every word in a post (or a full sentence!) into a hashtag, or stuff unrelated hashtags into your post.
When used correctly, hashtags will increase your online visibility and followers. When used in excess, it
looks spammy and becomes ineffective.

18. DON’T: Share the exact same message again and again.
Put yourself in the place of your followers. Would you want to read the same message from people or
pages you follow every day? It’s lazy and in poor taste to take the same social post and continue to
share it over and over again on the same networks. If you want to revisit previous content, get creative
with your delivery. Try rewording it or using a new image rather than reposting the same exact thing.

19. DON’T: Share without researching first.

Social media networks make it super easy to quickly share content from another account. With the tidal
wave of content and information coming at you at all times, it’s easy to forget that some of this content
comes from questionable sources or even bots. Sharing content is often seen as an endorsement of that
content and of the user who posted it, so be careful what you share — it could become part of your
brand.

Before you click share or retweet, first check out the account that shared the information to be sure
you’re comfortable being associated with using them as a source. Many businesses have mistakenly
shared information that hadn’t been properly vetted and turned out to be untrue or were shared by a
business or person with a shady past.

20. DO: Share without expectations.

Consistency and patience will pay off. Putting time and effort into social media doesn’t mean you’ll see
big results right away. You might, and that’s excellent. Similar to starting your business, your reach may
be slow at first. Then you’ll make connections, build a reputation, and develop a strategy.

21. DO: Give credit where credit is due.

Stay on the right side of social media etiquette by attributing the author or photographer when you
share an interesting article or a gorgeous image. Take the time to find the handle/account responsible
for the original post and include it in your post.

Also, be sure to thank those who mention or retweet you. You can make some great connections when
you play well with others on social media.

22. DON’T: Automate without thought.

If you’re using the same content across your social channels (and you can!), take the time to change the
voice of the message to match the network. Though most social media platforms feature the time-
saving option of posting on multiple channels at once, steer clear of it. Take the extra time to write an
original message for each social media network based on its intended purpose and audience.

23. DO: Think before tagging.

Tagging others in photos is a great way to introduce your business to their friends, but before you do,
think through it. Are you tagging everyone you can think of because you’re hoping some of them will
follow you or promote your business? Or are you tagging businesses and people to create a dialogue or
to highlight something you admire about them? Unexpected tagging can be a fun way to surprise and
delight someone, or it could cost you friends, fans or followers.

24. DON’T: Obsess about the numbers.

It’s important to remember that brand awareness and growing your network is a long-term effort. We
know it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers game, but try not to. While having lots of followers can
be good, it’s quality over quantity.

If you have 1,000 Twitter followers and half of them are spam accounts, your tweets are being delivered
to an audience that doesn’t truly exist. So stress less about your follower count and concentrate on
providing engaging content for your audience.

25. DO: Have fun!

Using social media for your business doesn’t mean you should stop having fun with it! Shake things up
from time to time. Try live videos or interactive polls and keep your messages friendly and
conversational. You’ll see that you can enjoy this part of your business instead of dreading it.

With the social media landscape constantly evolving, the do’s and don’ts of social media etiquette for
business owners will also continue to change. Staying aware of current best practices and incorporating
them into your social media strategy will keep your marketing efforts fresh and your business top of
mind.
Still feeling like it’s too much? We understand. OutboundEngine can take over the bulk of your social
media strategy by posting to professionally written content to your social platforms as well as helping
with paid social ads. Just request a demo and a small business consultant will walk you through it one-
on-one.