Social media is more or less a requirement these days. New generations, and to a growing extent older generations, are turning to social media sites like Facebook for a way to communicate and connect with their favorite companies.

This makes it important for businesses to have a social media presence, on Facebook at least . The problem is, some companies don’t quite get how to use it in the right way.

Here are seven social media etiquette tips you should be following to keep a well respected Facebook profile.

1. No ranting and raving. Remember that your Facebook profile represents your company. If you post negative rants about other products or gasp customers, you can be sure that you’ll destroy your image post-haste.
2. No over-sharing. Sharing is good, sharing too much is bad. Customers and social media fans don’t need to know every time you’ve restocked the vending machine. You should try to keep sharing to pertinent information, or updates that customers will find useful. Also be sure to not post every single little bit of news as the more you share, the closer you get to spam.
3. Cut back the quotes. Quotes used sparingly can really help customers and followers relate to the brand and the company. Some companies capitalize on this and use a quote for nearly everything. To much of a good thing is definitely at play here. You should really leave this for marketing campaigns, not day-to-day social media.
4. Size doesn’t matter. Stop comparing how many friends/followers/etc. you have to other companies. If you have a new profile, you will have fewer friends than other companies. You should instead focus on providing quality content and working on fostering relationships with existing and prospective clients and friends. If done correctly, your friend count will grow naturally, over time.
5. Use terms properly. Every industry and company uses acronyms, we love them. The only problem is, your friends on Facebook may not know what they mean. It’s best to either spell out words then provide the acronym, or not use them at all. The reason for this is because fancy speak may turn off customers.
6. Social media isn’t turnkey. With social media, like Facebook, you can’t just establish a profile, put some content on it and expect people to follow you. You need to provide updates, or information on a regular basis. Most companies post at least once every two weeks, or every week, but you should post when you have relevant information.
7. Watch what you share. Before you share anything, you should ask yourself if it’s what your customers want to see, would like to see and would share. If it’s in any way rude, inflammatory, negative or less than true, delete it.

Social media isn’t always easy for companies, one wrong post and an online reputation can be damaged. However, if you create original content and interact with your friends/followers/customers you will see success. If you feel that you could use a little help with your Facebook profile or other social media efforts, please get in touch with us.