How to use Social Media responsibly?

Everywhere you look you see people with their heads down staring at a bright screen, often consumed with the endless communication, information and entertainment that an electronic device provides. Cell phones, tablets, smart watches and computers are everywhere!

Kids and teenagers growing up in this digital age are learning how to use technology at a huge rate of speed. When used appropriately, there are so many positive benefits that come with technology and using social media. There are also many risks and potential harmful consequences to social media use.

Too much social media use can result in lower interaction with family, friends, or co-workers. Exposure to inappropriate content like violence and pornography is highly possible without the use of monitoring and parental control applications. Inappropriate behavior such as bullying, slander, or sending/posting risky pictures can happen because a social media user has a false sense of security behind the screen. Often people don’t consider that their digital footprint can last forever.

Lack of sleep or interrupted sleep is another negative side effect of too much social media use. Some people report feeling anxious or depressed after using social media. Pictures and stories often depict someone’s “best of the best” or “highlight reel.” The pressure to keep posts engaging, picture-perfect and time-worthy can add to feelings of anxiety. It is easy to start comparing your life to someone else’s digital life and feel down or not good enough.

The dos:

1. Think before you post.

What you post on your personal social media accounts can affect how people view your company. Think carefully about how posts that issue commentary on hot-button topics like religion, politics or gender issues might impact your relationships with customers, vendors and others in the business community.

2. Let your voice be heard.

On your blog and social media channels, let your readers see your personality shine through. Many people follow bloggers because they like what the writers are saying and how they’re saying it. Share your unique insight and strike a conversational tone that engages readers.

3. Be real.

Show your audience that you have real people behind your logo. It will make it easier for them to relate to your brand.

Some ways to do that are to introduce members of your team, show videos with “behind the scenes” glimpses of your staff doing what they do best and taking photos of your team at special events and activities. Also, consider promoting the personal brand of your business owner or a high-level manager to put a face to your organization. Many brand managers find it’s an effective way to facilitate loyalty and trust.

4. Set realistic expectations.

Realize that social media alone can’t grow sales.

Yes, it can help to build your brand reputation, generate awareness and increase visibility of your business. However, many other areas of your company impact customer acquisition and revenue growth.

Examples include the performance of your website, the quality of your products and services, your sales team’s skills and your customer service. You must pay attention to your business as a whole for social media to succeed.

5. Write for your readers.

Focus your content on what will help your audience and write it in a way that they will understand it. Simplifying your content doesn’t mean you have to dumb it down, but you should avoid overly complicated wording and sentence structure.

6. Personalize your outreach.

Customers expect that brands will tailor deals and discounts to their unique interests and needs. Consider embracing the potential of targeted advertising and retargeting campaigns on social media to cater to the demand for individualized content and offers.

The don’ts:

1. Don’t engage with haters, trolls, and other negative influences online.

Battling them is—and always will be—a lost cause. If you do, you’ll waste time, energy and creativity that you could be using to build your brand and serve your customers.

2. Don’t try to be everywhere and do everything.

Not every social media platform will deliver results for your business. By trying to maintain too many channels, you’ll become overwhelmed and dilute your effectiveness on those that matter most. Stay active only on the accounts that give you the best return on your time and effort.

3. Don’t post without proofreading.

If you publish posts with careless grammar and misspellings, it will reflect poorly on your brand. Before making posts live, review what you wrote and fix mistakes. Review the content again after you publish it because sometimes sneaky errors can slip by, despite initial proofreading efforts.

4. Don’t ignore your followers’ questions, comments and messages.

Ignoring your audience is the fast track to creating hard feelings, missing opportunities and damaging your brand. Keep tabs on activity on your social media accounts and respond promptly to your followers.

5. Don’t use AI as a substitute for human interaction.

Marketing automation saves time, but never use it as a replacement for person-to-person communication on social media. Your followers expect to develop a relationship with your brand, which can only be done if you’re genuinely engaged with them.

6. Don’t dwell too much on your competition.

Watching your competition is essential, but more critical to your success is developing your business and delivering excellent service to your customers. Nurture your brand’s unique strengths and capabilities rather than trying to be a carbon copy of another company.

First, let’s understand the basics
The internet can feel like the Wild West—photos and videos going viral seemingly overnight. However, it’s critical to note that trademark and copyright laws are the same for both social media and traditional marketing. Since brands use social media to interact with their customers, the content is considered “commercial,” and brands cannot defend against the infringement or misappropriation of another’s intellectual property.

And guess what? Employer liability exists. If you have an intern posting on your official company account, they are deemed a company spokesperson, and the employer, not the individual, is liable. Rest assured, with proper training, planning, and oversight, social media infringement liability can be minimized.

Risky behavior
For both trademark and copyright infringement, a rights-holder can file a takedown request with the social media platform (e.g., Twitter, YouTube) to have the infringing post removed. This was the case when drugstore chain Duane Read posted a paparazzi photo of Katherine Heigl carrying the drugstore chain’s shopping bags. What was seemingly a lighthearted tweet, turned into a $6 million lawsuit.

Related posts:

When a naive aspiring actress from Podunk, Texas disappears in Los Angeles, her protective sister comes looking for her. The clues lead her to a diabolical cult masquerading as a theater group and…

While walking down Broadway more than a few months ago, I told Leah about an intense craving for steak I’d harbored for a few days. It’s the one thing we can’t yet substitute with wheat gluten or…

An ovation and a memoir of a beautiful love and reminiscence of being alive and feeling alive. To live life in the now. October 15th , 2020- was the saddest and most painful day I have ever…