General dos and don'ts for using social media

Do put a communications strategy in place. What are you trying to achieve, what do you want to say, where, how and to whom. This will make it much easier to keep control

Do develop a style. Tone of voice will need to be different for each audience and situation, but make sure that your brand personality comes through in everything you do. If relevant, incorporate your brand values and where appropriate, use first person language to humanise the conversation.

Do strike the right balance between conversation and sales. Nobody wants to receive an overt sales pitch via social media, but be honest about why you are talking to consumers. Ignoring the fact that you have something to offer will make you seem disingenuous and untrustworthy.

Do set limits for what you will and won't tolerate in any channel. Just because you want to seem approachable and conversational doesn't mean you have to put up with abusive comments from consumers.

Don't be afraid to vary your strategy per channel. Don't just assume all social media channels work in the same way. Different networks have different user profiles, so the tone and content used for one will not necessarily work for another.

However, do be consistent. Make sure you use the same URL naming convention across all channels, to avoid confusion. Make it easy for people to find you. Also brand the different platforms with your company logo and colour theme to fit where applicable. You want the essence of the brand to be immediately conceived on visiting on the page.

Don't forget to update your content. There is nothing worse than starting a Twitter feed which is active and updated for the first three weeks but then goes silent, or a Facebook page which still has reference to an event which occurred three months ago on a landing page tab. Social media needs to be a constant consistent investment and can be a full-time job, so make sure you have the resources to keep your channels manned and your information up to date.

Read the full article at: http://www.businesszone.co.uk/topic/marketing-pr/social-media-etiquette-dos-and-dont/29932

The How To: First Steps into the World of Social Media

Gaining support and encouragement from SAP as we enter the world of social media via monthly webinars has been fantastic and we continue to look forward to the forthcoming sessions as we embrace opportunities and elements of the landscape which haven’t yet been discovered by us.

Here are some of the tips that I’d like to share from the first two webinars which I’ve found effective and should help you on your way to making the first few steps into the world of social media.

Listen and Learn - The first step is to begin to observe what your customers and competitors are saying on the various social media platforms. Take your time and start with one platform; don’t take on them all at the same time because your likely to become overwhelmed.

Enable - Join or follow a forum and begin to comment as you gain confidence. This is the first step of social media interaction.

Connect - Reach out to those who have influence and seek to connect with your customers, competitors and all your business partners.

A useful blog post which may be of interest and use to those interested in SAP Business One connecting and engaging with SAP and other SAP Business One leading professionals and users from Intelligent B1 is "SAP in the World of Social Media".

To Do List Month One

•Check on main competitors.
•Check on customers.
•Find a niche social network and blog in your vertical; join and follow respectively.
•Respond to comments and queries if people looking for advice.

Note: If you’re a member of twitter use links shared by those you are following to find relevant and interesting blogs to follow.

Another useful and insightful blog post from Intelligent B1 is "Where to Start in the World of Social Media

To Do List Month Two

•Join LinkedIn and set up or check out your Company Profile.
•Join relevant groups and begin to interact with other professionals in your verticals.
•Present your Company’s unique message.
•Look at how you might encourage your audience to seek advice and put forward their queries via social media platforms in order to improve your service and products proffered.

Have Fun! The most valuable bit of advice is to enjoy it! If you’re not enjoying it your audience is unlikely to be inspired or motivated to engage with you and it’s also unlikely to last if it’s not something which you take pleasure in.