TWCA’s Tips for Social Media

What to consider when signing up to Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, LinkedIn, Xing and the likes

Social Media started out as “Candy floss“ it was pink, it was fun, it was seriously sticky and it did nothing for business. Well if you were a dentist maybe. However, it is an essential part of Inbound Marketing these days – that’s if it’s done in the right manner. Here is TWCA’s tips on how to get it right.

So what has changed? Social Media was all fun and more fun but suddenly it turned into the biggest online research tool you can possibly find, attracting millions of users worldwide. It is still free and free things are good – so on a daily basis more and more users still sign up.

With millions of users online who already have told you what they like and don’t like, so by combining different media into these Social Media Networks, the possibilities for business are endless, or are they?

The possibilities to wreck your career are unlimited, status updates that inform us about the contents of someone’s lunches or worse... are something your Mom or clients really should not have to see.

Before you ruin your chances of getting that dream job of yours or talk about last night’s dirty drinking antics in front of clients here is the TWCA Tips for getting started with Social Media Networks:

1. When signing up think about the information you really want to share with the people you are going to connect with. Do you really want to tell everyone your home address, your private phone number, your favourite TV shows from when you were a child?
2. If uploading a photo: remember who will see it. Your clients? Your boss? Your Mom or your friends?
3. When posting status updates: Who will be able to see this? Do you want to communicate with your friends differently than your clients?
4. Do you want to be found in web searches? LinkedIn, Xing, Facebook, Blogger, Technorati and other online communities have the option to include or hide your profile from web searches.
5. Consider creating a different friend list for sharing different types of information
6. Consider creating an account solely for business and one for your personal use
7. Remember: the web does not forget. Thanks to Google & Co your profile, old blog, tipsy pictures from way back: can still be found online when one knows what to look for.
8. Is your nickname an appropriate one for business purposes?
9.  Who are the people you connect with? (You will be amazed how little people seem to want to hide online – it seems its one big “Look at me – I am naked” type of place. But isn’t less more at times?
10. Is your boss on Facebook and can he/she see what you are doing all day long? Does your online behaviour reflect badly on your employer?

We have tried to point out different angles when using Social Media: something for the boss, the employee, the private human being and of course all of them together. But Social Media is also a rather powerful Inbound Marketing Tool – read about TWCA’s Inbound Marketing views or to learn more about essential Do’s & Don’ts for Social Media: make contact with the team at TWCA now.