Six Social EtiquetteTips to Use at Social Networking Sites

  Written by Tania Williams on Nov 25, 2008 10:57 am

Read More: Marketing  |  Social Networking

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When it comes to social etiquette I've been coming to grips with the do's and don'ts of social networking on social network sites like Facebook and BetterNetworker. Being relatively new to all of this, I found there's a fine line between attractive content and unattractive content.

Attractive content gets more reads and more leads to your lead capture pages. Spamming is a waste of time and destroys your reputation. It's often not clear exactly what unattractive content or spam is, so take the time to read this and you'll have a much better idea. Do it right and social networking sites can help your business explode by exponentially increasing traffic to your sites.

There's a grey area and different rules and social etiquette for each social networking site you use. You definatley want to learn the rules and apply them. For example at a social networking site like Hub Pages, you cannot link to more than two of the same URL's. That means you cannot create links that point your reader to the same URL more than twice in the same article.

But beyond the rules, there's a subjective aspect to social etiquette that takes a little while to "get". You really want to take the time to get a feel for the social climate at the networks you are using, because besides risking offending people (or worse, having your account closed down), your reputation is at stake. And online, your reputation is all you have!

At the end of the day, you want your social media marketing efforts to be effective. Using the social sites and marketing arena is a powerful way to to propel your business to new heights. All the networking you do and the content you post takes time and effort. It makes sense to have it working for you in the right way.

Here are six tips I've picked up along the way that helped me. Bear them in mind while going about your internet marketing and watch your audience gather and grow- rather than diminish and fade.

Social  Etiquette Tips for Marketing at Social Networking Sites

1.    Never go to someone’s page and purposefully try to grab their traffic (placing links or inserting links when you place comments)….if you comment, don’t say anything about your product. It’s like going to someone's house and taking their items. Build your own house and provide your visitors with training. For example on Facebook: Create the groups and run them yourself—don’t spam other people’s groups!

2.    Don’t send your system/opportunity message to a stranger (someone you don’t know). First let them join your group. Or they can opt in to your list. If they become your friend, just develop a relationship first and then invite them to join your group/opt in to your list.Ask before you invite people to events on Facebook. A note requesting if they would like an invitation goes a long way and also helps build a relationship. (This is a recently acquired piece of informaton for me!)

3.    Build relationships and act like a human at social media network sites. Especially as everyone is catching on to these trends. These sites are first and foremost social networking sites. Don’t send people messages about your business if you haven’t spoken to them or built up a relationship first. Act like you would if you go to a party. You wouldn't enter a room full of people and start pitching your system or business to people at the party. You would become aquainted first and get into a conversation. Perhaps as time goes on, someone might ask you more about yourself and what you do. If there's a genuine interest that develops and this person feels you have something to teach them or a beneficial collaboration to be made, they will initiate a connection asking for a business relationship. At this point, it is appropriate to tell them what you can offer.

The same goes at the social networking sites. Never bring up your business unless someone asks for it. Be real. You can put up content  and in this way put yourself in the path of people who are searching for what you have to offer. So you let  people watch you and then if they ask you, you can send info/links about your business.

4.    Remember, it takes time to develop your web presence.  Be patient. Outshine the rest (there are lots of people doing it so you need to make sure your stuff stands out above the others).

You need an entire web presence going on. People can be on your list for months- and when they are ready, they will contact you. Don’t stop- people need consistency. They want to join someone who’s in for the long run and who knows what they are doing. Keep expanding your presence (people are watching you)- and learn to use different social networking sites and mediums- so you can gradually expand. Become an authority (over 5 or 6 months)-it takes time. The more you have out there, the better. Build your web presence and stick with it. Those determined to succeed step by step will make it.

5.    Learn how to stay ahead of the curve on these social networking sites. When you are on these social sites, be aware of the trends. For example MySpace and YouTube at first, 6 months ago, were huge.

But recently  MySpace started dying down - and now its FaceBook thats hot. YouTube is not pulling like it was before (there are too many people to weed out- and it has become over saturated). Video is important- but it can be used differently. It must be used to show who you are and it gives a personal touch. But you do need other mediums and profiles at other sites! You need to stay ahead of the masses. BetterNetworker,Friendfeed, StumbleUpon and Twitter are also doing well right now.

6.    On Facebook, don’t tag people just so that their lists will see you. You are not adding value to their content or adding to them as people by simply doing this. Someone tagged me on a page they posted at Facebook and it has nothing to do with me. I suspect they did it because I have a lare group of friends and they wanted the exposure. It irritated me immensely and does not endear me to the tagger at all. Don’t just pitch without serving the community  first. Also, in my opinion (and it's only my opinion) putting pictures up of money is a little tacky. (That's just my two cents worth!)

7. At Betternetworker, don't pitch anything in your welcome message to a newcomer. Make sure you read their profile first, click on their links to get to know them and their interests. Then, if you want to make a connection, send a personalised not showing you have a little background on them. Remember, don't just make friends with everyone. If you feel you have a genuine desire to initiate a relationship thats fine. But then follow through and really connect and get to know them, giving value all along.

Remember, if the community at social networking sites trusts you they’ll check out your sites and read your content. On the web, your reputation is all you have. Serve your colleagues first- respect  and honour them and your reputation will grow positively. So will your business.

Tania Williams is a Marketing Merge Super Guide who teaches newbies Internet Attraction Network Marketing so you can attract your prospects to you and generate your own leads for low cost. This is "Hi touch- hi tech" at its best, and I am the hi-touch side of the equation! If you need a guide to help you create your Presence on the Web, email me at taniawil@mweb.co.za or call Tania Williams on +27 82 495 3702 GMT or skype me taniaatct, or visit www.getprospectsformula.com
 

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