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10 Rules You Should Follow For Social Media – Rule #1

RULE #1: DON’T BE A JERK (or The Cocktail Party Test)

When social media was the newest kid on the block there was little regard for “best practices” or etiquette. Everyone was just really concerned with “doing” social media, getting a presence out there and hoping for some sort of return.

There were a lot of social media failures. Businesses that jumped on the social media train early, and incorrectly, came to the conclusion that it didn’t work, that it was a waste of time. Why?

Well, we’ve learned that putting out sub-par content and expecting people to lap it up, simply doesn’t cut it.

Your audience wants great, awesome, useful, relevant, helpful, sharable content. They don’t care much about how great your company is or what you’ve done in the past. That’s for your marketing department. The marketers can toot your horn and sing your praises. Social media has a different mandate.

Social media sites and networks were not developed to promote and sell your business, product, service etc. They were created so that people could share experiences. Facebook is so popular because friends, old and new, can share in the cool stuff you’re doing in your life. It’s a bit like the Christmas letter but shorter and much, much less boring.

Your friends want to know that you spent an amazing day with your kids on the ski hill. They want to share your Hawaiian vacation. Sharing those moments with you gives them a sense that they’re connected to you. You have a relationship.

On the other side of the coin, sharing those experiences or inspiring content makes you feel great. If you help your friend out of a funk with a photo of a sleeping kitten you get some satisfaction from that.

Social media wasn’t created for business. Remember that. It’s important.

With that mantra in mind you can develop your social media strategy. A great way to think of what constitutes appropriate content is to think about what you might say to someone at a cocktail party. I call this the “cocktail party test” (not very inspired but I bet you remember it 🙂

If you’re about to post some content take another look and determine if it’s something you’d share with someone you’re standing face to face with.

“Hey Bill, my company just landed a huge account and we’re about to become the #1 potato retailer in the country! How cool are we?” Remembering that you don’t really know Bill personally, do you think he’d care? Probably not.

On the other hand, if you said something like: “Hi Bill, did you know that potatoes can lower your cholesterol? There’s a cool new study out of the University of Spudland that found that men over 60 who eat 4 potatoes/day can live an extra 10 years. Crazy hey?” (I don’t think this is a true statement by the way, just a little fun, potato humour)

Giving Bill some interesting information that he may want to share with others is what social media best practices are all about.

So, Rule #1 – Don’t Be A Jerk means, think about what you’re putting out there. Don’t abuse the trust you build with your audience by wasting their time. Give them something they can use, you’ll get considerably more engagement and interest that way.

February 8, 2012by jax
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Hotel Iguanazul - Costa Rica
Hotel Iguanazul - Costa Rica
This client needed a site that integrated with online travel agents and merged calendars for guest bookings. While the design is simple and elegant, the backend is very robust. I added an additional solution to give hotel staff on the ground the ability to take bookings over the phone or in person without sacrificing the calendar sync.
North Vancouver Realty Blgo
North Vancouver Realty Blgo
This site was created to compliment North and West Vancouver Realtor, Elizabeth Dyer's, growing real estate business. Liz felt that providing people with real experiences from the North Shore would help them get a true feel for what it's like to live in this amazing place. The site is growing daily with new posts and new tech like vlog posts!
Layne's Way Environmental Interior Design
Layne's Way Environmental Interior Design
I created this site for my daughter Layne who is just about to graduate high school. We worked on it together as a tool to help her realize her dream of becoming an Interior Designer. The site is used for post-secondary admissions and scholarship opportunities. It also showcases many of Layne's extra curricular activities.
Women In Leadership ~ National Women's Leadership Organization
Women In Leadership ~ National Women's Leadership Organization
Jacquie McCarnan is the National Director of Social Media and Online Outreach for the Women In Leadership Foundation. She is also "keeper of the brand". With chapters in 4 Canadian cities, the WIL online presence is an extremely intricate part of the Foundation's overall community outreach. We conceived and built individual sites for each chapter, trained each chapter rep and provide continued support through the national head office site. By giving the chapters some autonomy to construct their own content we have seen a considerable increase in online engagement; not only from the website(s) but from all social media outlets as well. We also initiated, planned and constructed processes to make the social media engagement a turn-key solution for each chapter since all chapter members are volunteers. In less than a year WIL has become the most robust online presence of all Canadian women-centric non-profits. (big round of applause :)


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