This post is not meant to make anyone feel bad about how they conduct themselves through social media platforms, it’s simply observations & tips to help with your overall social media etiquette.
When we’re first getting started on the internet, and more specifically, with social media, we are SO excited to get the word out about us and what we do and who we are and generally to prove that we are THE expert in our field.
However, in that buzz of social media, we tend to forget that we’re dealing with real live people, not robots.
Let me ask you, if a complete stranger came up to you and told you to like their Facebook page right then and there, would you do it?
Probably not.
And why wouldn’t you? Because you know nothing about them. I’m sure you’d have a lot of follow up questions, including, “Who ARE you?!”
I feel so awkward and turned off by people who message me out of the blue just to ask me to like their Facebook Page. I’m usually all for liking pages, following people on Twitter, leaving comments & voting for people if I’ve created that relationship first.
So here’s my point
Sending someone a DM that you’ve just followed or sending a private message to someone you’ve just connected with on a social network, and asking them to like your page or follow you on Twitter in order to help build your online presence, will get people hating you, rather than liking you.
If you truly want to build a relationship with people so that they end up liking your Facebook page without you even having to ask them, here’s how:
Read their blog: Read their blog and comment on it on a regular basis. It could take that blogger a while to get up the courage to research you, but the more your presence is seen on their blog, the more appreciative they’ll be and I guarantee that they’ll reciprocate if they know that you truly want to connect with them.
Engage on Twitter: Before sending that spammy DM asking them to like your Facebook page, send them a mention and just say, “Thank you for the follow! I’m a big fan and look forward to your tweets. :)” Or make it even more personable by mentioning a recent post of theirs that you really liked. Or even retweeting their articles. The key here is to be genuine, if you’re following someone, that should mean that you truly want to engage with them.
Engage on Facebook: It’s perfectly acceptable to login as your Facebook page and engage under your Facebook page. There’s nothing wrong with that! So feel free to like & comment on other page’s Facebook status messages. If you do it enough, and if you leave valuable comments, you will be recognized and eventually they will like your page.
DO NOT spam their Facebook wall, don’t even post on it. It’s a huge turn off and is in poor taste to comment on a competing Facebook Page’s wall with any self-promotion.
Don’t be spammy: If you’re on a social platform where you can send private messages, DO NOT let your first message to them be anything related to what you do. If you truly want them to like your Facebook page or follow you on Twitter, you’re going to have to earn it! That means, showing yourself as involved in the community as possible.
Showing that you truly are an expert. Showing that you are there to do more than just spam people.
In a nutshell, you should be connecting and engaging with people, not just because they’re an influencer, but because you want to share the information that they post and you hope that they’ll do the same.
Make the extended effort to get to know people and in time, the likes, follows and engagement will come naturally.
Image © vege – Fotolia.com