10 Do’s & Don’ts for Social Media

Social media can help Advocis chapters find new volunteers, raise awareness about a specific subject or engage potential sponsors. There are many social media platforms, and learning how to leverage each is the most difficult part – plus a social slip-up can misrepresent the association as a whole!

This is why we’ve come up with this handy list of tips related to best practices and things to avoid as it relates to professional social media etiquette. Have any questions about best practices for social media or require assistance? Please contact Lucas Di Rocco or communications@advocis.ca and we will be happy to help.

Do...

1. Share and repost information from Advocis national accounts, other chapters, chapter members, corporate partners/sponsors and advisor-related news.

2. Be active on your social media, but don’t post so often that you overwhelm or annoy people. Chances are the more often you post, the more your followers will engage with the accounts.

3. Avoid poor grammar and spelling errors. Making these blunders will reduce your credibility. You can also try reading your writing out loud.

4. Posting photos and videos are known for ensuring better engagement. Tweets with images earn 18% more clicks, 89% more likes and 150% more retweets.

5. Be consistent with your business profile. If you run a business page and share a personal incident that is irrelevant to your business, that will make your page less significant to your target audiences.

6. Your branding is directly proportionate to the content you share, and is very important to be recognizable to acquire and maintain credibility with your intended audience. A uniform brand identity across all chapters will reflect the association as a whole.

7. Use relevant hashtags to increase engagement and discussion around posts. Hashtags will help to increase your online visibility and reach people outside of your following. Encourage your audiences to use these hashtags when resharing!

8. Share thoughtfully. 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. Try rewording posts or using new images rather than reposting the same exact message.

9. Share without expectations. Just because you start putting time and effort into your social media profile does not mean you’ll see big results right away. Consistency and patience will pay off as you make new connections, build a reputation, and develop a strategy.

10. Have fun! Using social media for your business does not mean you should stop enjoying it. Try new ideas, use live videos or interactive polls and keep your messages professional and conversational.

Don't...

1. Neglect your profile(s). Long periods of silence mean your profile is not fostering a sense of community. Chances are people will not engage with or follow the account.

2. Ignore comments. It is important to engage with your followers when they make an effort to reach you. Replying will also spark conversation among others discussing the same topic.

3. Posting in CAPS should be avoided. It reads as a person YELLING SOMETHING, and expresses that you are upset or unhappy about something.

4. Don’t forget to network. Just as you would in real life, always work to make connections and grow your brand by building quality relationships on social media.

5. Don’t ask your Twitter followers to “please retweet,” and don’t beg your Facebook friends to “like” your page. You will earn these interactions with helpful, shareworthy content. Alternatively, send a one-time invite to follow or like your page.

6. Don’t fixate on the number of followers you have. While having lots of Facebook fans and Twitter followers can be good, it’s about quality over quantity. You want to build meaningful relationships with followers you closely interact with.

7. Don’t abuse #hashtags. When used properly, these are a great way to categorize and help others find specific content on social media. When used in excess, it looks spammy and becomes ineffective.

8. Sharing the exact same message again and again shows laziness and poor selection of content. Put yourself in the place of your followers. Would you want to read the same message from people or pages you follow every day?

9. Don’t share without researching first. Many businesses have mistakenly shared information that hadn’t been properly vetted and turned out to be untrue. Before you click share or retweet, verify that you are comfortable being associated with the account that shared the information.

10. Don’t use all social media platforms for the sake of it. Tempting as it may be, you should avoid setting up profiles across all channels just for the sake of having a presence there. Know your audience and choose carefully.