The Dos and Don'ts of Social
Media for Professional Women
Women are using social media in droves to promote their businesses, connect with their friends and family, stay updated on current events, and of course, share pictures of their cats. But as social media continues to evolve, it’s important to know the do’s and don’ts of this platform to keep you from looking foolish or unprofessional to the outside world.
Do Use Social Media
Social media is an amazing tool, particularly when it comes to finding employment. Job boards are great resources for posting your resume, but that's only part of what you need to do. Many recruiters now search social media sites like LinkedIn or Twitter to find good fits for positions, so it's important that you have an active presence on these sites. Be sure your profiles are filled out completely with information about yourself and make sure your online personality aligns with your real one.
Do Have Your Own Voice
When you create a social media account, use your real name. If you're creating an account that's not connected to your professional identity (e.g., a personal Instagram or Facebook page), then be sure to keep it private so that it isn't associated with your professional brand. When you're on social media, speak honestly but professionally; if you wouldn't say something to someone face-to-face in a professional context, don't post it online. Moreover, don’t post anything that might be perceived as offensive or unethical—or at least make sure you know how your boss would react before doing so.
Do Engage in Conversations
No matter what you do, don’t be a ghost. This means leaving comments on others’ blogs or participating in Twitter chats. Even if you don’t have time to tweet every day, check in on your accounts daily to see if there are any conversations worth jumping into—and leave thoughtful comments when appropriate. If you need more inspiration, try following some industry leaders and professional women that inspire you. Then search their names on social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) and jump into their conversations with questions or answers to their posts. Just remember: Interacting is always better than lurking—the goal is to make yourself known!
Do Take Advantage of Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to build your brand on social media. They’re a catch-all that can be used to track keywords, post events, and follow conversations. They’re also super easy to use: just add a hashtag (#) in front of any keyword or phrase you want. You can even click through to see who else is using it. There are a few tips on using hashtags: don’t overdo it—just one or two per post is enough; keep your hashtags relevant so that they connect with your target audience; capitalize them, since they become words when you click on them (for example, #bossbabe).
Do Create Quality Content
It's no surprise that social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn are still as popular as ever in 2015. And while sharing links to articles or posting updates on your latest project are helpful ways to communicate with colleagues or potential clients, make sure you're putting out quality content first. It doesn't have to be anything life-changing or deep; it just needs to be a good read (with proper spelling and grammar, of course). The more time you put into creating quality posts that people actually want to read (because they can connect with you), the better off you'll be when it comes time to promote yourself via social media.
Don’t Focus on Numbers
If you’re looking to increase your profile on social media, don’t focus solely on amassing followers. It might feel good to quickly hit a milestone, but that success can lead to some bad habits: over-posting, flooding your feed with sales messages or shilling for sponsors. This can turn off existing followers (and potential ones) who are interested in something authentic and real. Instead, focus on creating quality content—maybe one piece per week—that feels organic to your brand and is valuable to your audience. The rest will come with time!
Don’t Just Share Pictures From Other People's Accounts
There’s a place for sharing fun, inspirational, or thought-provoking images with your friends. But there are better places to share those kinds of posts than on professional social media accounts. If you’re posting content that isn’t relevant to your brand or career goals, it makes it seem like you don’t really care about what you do—and worse, it might be perceived as wasting other people's time. Do post professionally interesting content on your profiles; but create separate personal accounts if you want to share your weekend fun.
Don’t Ignore Instagram Stories (Or at Least Test Them)
In 2016, Instagram Stories were introduced. Many took a while to get used to them, but these days they’re starting to give Snapchat a run for its money. In fact, according to research from Shareablee, Instagram Stories have been growing at a faster rate than Snapchat since their introduction—and people are more likely to visit your profile on Instagram versus Snapchat. So if you're struggling with your social media strategy or looking for ways to grow your brand on multiple platforms, consider adding Instagram Stories into your mix.
Don’t Ignore LinkedIn Groups (At Least Test Them)
You should definitely give groups a try. You may find that it’s worth your time, especially if you’re hoping to network with other professionals in your field or reach out to influencers and like-minded peers who will be eager to help you out as you grow. But don’t underestimate how much time these can consume (especially early on). If you have so many unanswered messages that you can’t keep up, spend some extra time helping members who haven’t responded to your requests first. Also consider setting up an Outreach folder—complete with an autoresponder—that lets people know they might not hear from you until a certain date or event (such as your book launch) passes.
Don’t Only Post When You Have an Event to Promote
If you are using social media only to promote your business, you’re probably wasting a lot of time on it. To truly utilize social media as a professional women, think about what your goal is on each site. Is it to build an audience? To inform or educate? To connect with people in your industry? Or all three? Once you decide on your main objective, create a strategy that will allow you to fulfill that goal while giving real value to your followers. If they trust what you share—and why—they’ll be more likely to interact with (and buy from) you in other areas of life. Think content marketing across all platforms.
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