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20 Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media Management

Social media allows brands to directly engage audiences and spur growth like never before. But without the right strategy and execution, social efforts can easily flop or even backfire. Here are 20 essential do’s and don’ts to optimize your social media management:

Highlights

Do’s
Don’ts
Conclusion

Do’s

1. Set Clear Goals and Document Your Strategy

Begin by defining your goals and core target audiences across each platform. Map the customer journey to guide strategy. Document planned content topics, types of posts, ideal posting times, engagement protocols, and metrics for optimization. Strategic plans avoid aimless efforts that scatter focus.

2. Research Competitors and Your Industry

Study what top competitors and industry leaders do across their social channels. Learn from their content strategies and campaigns. Discover untapped opportunities by analyzing their audience demographics and growth trends. Benchmark your social stats against theirs. Competitive research fuels strategic insights.

3. Choose The Right Social Platforms

Every platform serves a different purpose. Audit where your audiences, competitors and industry conversations exist. Invest in 2-3 ideal platforms instead of spreading yourself thin. Play to the unique strengths of each channel based on their formats, algorithms and expectations.

4. Design Cohesive Branding and Visuals

Ensure branding and visuals are consistent across your chosen platforms and channels. Optimize profiles with logos, themes, featured images and banners that reinforce brand identity. Create unique engaging posts tailored to each platform’s audience while maintaining brand voice.

5. Create Engaging & Valuable Content

Well-crafted social content blends entertainment and value. Share authentic stories, behind-the-scenes access, contests, user-generated content and more. Mix educational content that builds authority with creative posts that connect emotionally. Avoid overly promotional messages.

6. Post Consistently

Posting consistently nurtures audience relationships and momentum. Establish ideal posting frequency and times for each platform. Use social media management and scheduling tools to plan, create and publish content efficiently. Consistency earns you a spot in their daily feeds.

7. Respond Quickly to Comments and Questions

Social media facilitates two-way conversations. Reply rapidly to comments, questions and feedback. This fosters community and trust. Monitor mentions closely. Assign team members to handle response duties promptly. Slow response times reflect poorly on brands.

8. Advertise Strategically

With precise targeting options, social ads complement organic efforts. Promote content, offers and events via paid ads on ideal platforms. Retarget engaged visitors. Test conversion-optimized ads at small spending levels and scale up what resonates. Balance paid and organic focus.

9. Track Analytics and Continuously Optimize

Follow platform analytics closely to identify best content, engagement levels, demographics and traffic sources. Seek out deeper insights through UTMs and custom conversion tracking. Use learnings to eliminate underperforming efforts and optimize social initiatives that work.

10. Monitor Mentions, Reviews and Trends

Stay on top of brand mentions, reviews, hashtags and trending topics. Positive mentions present quick sharing opportunities. Address negative feedback professionally. Insert your brand appropriately into trending conversations when beneficial. Missed brand mentions mean lost impact.

Don’ts

1. Don’t Completely Neglect Any Major Platforms

Every major platform deserves at least a basic brand presence to claim profiles and monitor conversations. Completely ignoring certain platforms means missed opportunities as usage fluctuates. Reserve your primary focus for ideal chosen platforms.

2. Don’t Autopost Too Frequently

Posting quality original content manually nurtures authentic community. Avoid simply autoposting a flood of repurposed content. Too many posts become noise followers tune out. Prioritize curated content over quantity on most platforms.

3. Don’t Ignore Followers and Their Feedback

Comments, questions and feedback present engagement opportunities. If you ask for input, respond respectfully even to negative remarks. Not all feedback requires action but ignoring it looks arrogant. Social media is inherently interactive.

4. Don’t Use Only Stock Content and Imagery

While some stock content fills gaps, prioritize unique images, videos and stories tailored to your brand. Original perspectives build deeper connections. Over-reliance on generic assets makes brands forgettable.

5. Don’t Break Platform Rules and Norms

Understand and respect each platform’s guidelines, algorithms and community rules. Deliberately trying to game the system through manipulation rarely succeeds long-term. Focus your efforts on creativity that actually engages audiences.

6. Don’t Post Controversial or Divisive Content

Avoid overly controversial stances on sensitive topics unless they directly align with your brand values and audience expectations. Remain inclusive and respectful. Controversy for its own sake often alienates more followers than it attracts.

7. Don’t Over filter Profanity and Dissent in Comments

Excessive filtering and removal of critical comments breeds distrust. Occasional negative feedback and lively debate are normal. Address concerns transparently. Only filter clearly abusive hate speech, threats and extreme negativity. Allow profanity within reason.

8. Don’t Engage Directly with Angry Trolls

When provocative comments aim to instigate rather than converse, disengage. Delete or hide unconstructive attacks, insults and deceptive rhetoric from trolls. Avoid heated back-and-forths. Prioritize addressing sincere critiques.

9. Don’t Post at Obviously Bad Times

Schedule content to avoid posting when audiences are asleep or unlikely to be active. Tailor timing for each target audience and global region. Analyze past performance patterns to guide ideal future timing. Test to continually refine.

10. Don’t Try to Hide Instead of Handling Crises

Social crises happen despite best efforts. Address issues transparently, not defensively. Offer solutions, listen to feedback and correct mistakes. Temporarily disabling accounts exacerbates accusations of hiding. Crises managed well build resilience.

Conclusion

With careful strategy and preparation, social media provides invaluable opportunities to engage audiences. But blindly jumping in without proper diligence risks wasted efforts or preventable missteps. Follow these do’s and don’ts to optimize your brand’s social media presence and performance. Master social listening and community building to maximize positive impact.

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