Facebook Tip #3: Posting Etiquette

Social Media Marketing has officially been designated an ART, not a SCIENCE. There's good reason for that to. It's because there is no official rule book for social media marketing, but there are definitely certain guidelines that can help you succeed, and navigate around the bajillion ways you can sink your reputation on social networks.

Now, I can't post all the guidelines here in this post (though I hope to cover most of them in future posts), so in this tip, we're going to focus on Posting Etiquette.

This is important, because most marketers ignore these this tip and burn bridges really quickly. I know this, because I had to learn the hard way, and I want to help you avoid having to make the same mistakes.





So without further ado....

• Posting On Your Wall - When posting on your own wall, make sure to always add a personal note to your links. It can be a witty comment, a question or a call to action. Just make sure you say something, because it's much more likely to be a viral link if you haven't said anything. No one wants to click on a link that could be viral, so stand out a let your friends know it's really you posting. It's common courtesy.

• Posting On Friends Walls - When posting on a friends wall you have one of four options, which all include letting your friend know that you are trying to be courteous about using their page to promote your cause. This is important, because their wall is not your advertising platform, and that post will only stay on their wall or get spread around if they are on good terms with you and you are using proper posting etiquette. You're options are:

1. Ask them before you post
2. Ask them while you post (i.e. "Hope you don't mind me posting? =)" or something similar)
3. Say "I thought you might like this" or "Thought you might find this interesting".
4. Ask for their help in this post ("Hey, can you help me spread this around?")
5. Ask "Hey, do you know anyone who would be interested in this?"

• Posting in Groups - This advice is best put in place when you are posting in a group you did not create yourself, though it's never a bad idea to use it in your own groups as well. So when you post your links in a group, you want to make sure that the link is relevant to the group in question. You don't want to post news of your collectives grand opening in your local precincts group, it's not only rude, but dangerous. Use this logic whenever you post in a group. If you stick with groups that are likely to have a positive interest in your cause, then you'll reach more people, not get flagged and avoid any unnecessary trouble. You also want to make sure to make a comment with your post. "Do you know if anyone would be interested in this?" or "What do you think about this?" will work, but the more personal the message, the more interest you'll gain from group members.

• Posting On Fanpages - When you're posting promotional material on other peoples fanpages, you are mostly trying to avoid having your link deleted. The only people who usually get flagged as spammers from pages, are those annoying folk who post those work at home scams (and anything similar). So in order to avoid having your link deleted, you should either contact the page creator and ask them if you can post first, which is the proper way to do it, or you post your information and leave a comment. Hopefully one that includes being aware that you are posting on someone elses fanpage, but anything more persoal you think will make a difference should help. You also want to avoid posting links in fanpages that are irrelevant to your cause. It doesn't help you, and it doesn't help them.

You can and should use these tips in all aspects of your social networking and marketing. I will admit that it does add to the work load, but it makes all the difference. Just putting in that effort to be courteous to the people you are sharing your company, product, service or cause with, will not only brand you with a good attitude and reputation, it will open up the lines of communication with everyone you network with. This means that the extra five minutes you spent asking permission to post, will plant the seed of a life long business reputation with anyone you talk to.

That is the stuff of REAL marketing, and it is the only way to SUCCESSFULLY market.