Inserting Yourself into a Conversation

There’s nothing worse than making mistakes. Sure they happen, but when it comes to business, mistakes can be costly! In today’s day and age we are all connected instantly through mobile sharing apps (like social media) and quick access to the internet with the swipe of our thumbs. By now hopefully you’re aware of the permanence of publishing anything on the worldwide web and this is especially important to keep in mind when engaging with people on social media. The McCauley Marketing Services team likes to devote a good deal of time to researching engaging strategies for social media to help successfully incorporate into our client’s medical marketing campaigns – this includes studying what NOT to do. Today, we’re going to focus on properly inserting yourself into a conversation {because believe it or not, there’s an etiquette for social media, particularly with business, that should be followed} so you can maximize your online presence in the most positive manner possible.

Do’s

• Research your audience: if your main target audience is senior-aged individuals who could care less about popular culture, sharing posts about celebrities that have nothing to do with what you offer or would be of interest to your readers could be a turn off. It’s good to mix up the content you post by mixing educational and light-hearted material but always make sure it’s business appropriate. Once you get to know your customers then it will give you a better understanding on the most productive ways to connect with them on a more personal level.
• Research topics of interest: what we mean by this is if you notice a particular hashtag is trending on Facebook or Twitter and you want to incorporate it into your own social media posts, ALWAYS make sure you know what it’s referencing and exactly what it means as a whole. The very last thing you would want is to unknowingly publish a hashtag that supports something that is negative or paints your medical practice in a damaging light because you seem insensitive to something that the world is viewing as bad. Once it’s posted it’s much harder to backtrack and make excuses or apologies as to how an oversight happened than to “miss out” on something that’s trending just to feel like you’re not missing out. Word to the wise would be to just avoid this altogether by conducting a quick Google search to read up on this trending topic before you chime in.
• Phone a friend: ask your family and friends (especially those that may fit your client demographic, what their stance is on a particular article, news topic, trending conversation, hashtag, etc. before you use your business’ platform to participate. These people hopefully have your best interest at heart and will give you an honest opinion on how they would feel if they saw a particular post you’re interested in sharing. As much as we hate to admit it, sometimes we can’t see beyond our own prejudices and what we think is a great idea could in reality be quite the opposite – even if your intentions are genuine and not malicious.

Don’ts

• Use force: we’re going back to the researching topics of interest with this connection. Companies have made mistakes in the past where they try to use humor or wit to connect historical events and branding of their products or services. This can seem extremely offensive to some people and cause an onslaught of negative feedback. We’ve seen firsthand how a major business can try to jump on a popular hashtag only to be trolled by people who don’t feel they have any business contributing. If something isn’t directly related to your business (this is completely different from personal social media usage), don’t force it. It can feel contrived and extremely unnatural to those following along and look desperate on your company’s part. Avoid adding that extra stress of having to deal with angry or sarcastic sentiments by people who saw your insertion and didn’t agree by choosing your social media voice wisely.
• Ignore mistakes: let’s say you’ve posted something that quickly was noticed and disliked by the social media masses. This can spread like wildfire and although topics and trends online can be short lived, they won’t go away. Sweeping it under the rug after someone has called you out is part of a larger detriment you could be facing and something to avoid. Having a crisis management plan implemented can help your business, your marketing team, and even your internal staff handle any social media emergencies in an efficient way in hopes of maintaining a positive reputation for your business. Not every post is going to be viral but it could, so err on the side of caution – always!

Marketing is about research, analyzing, implementation, and practice. It may not always be easy but with a key few reminders and diligence, the experience can be quite rewarding for your business as a whole. If you’re ready to start discussing how our team can help you tailor a successful social media campaign to better serve your company, contact McCauley Marketing Services today. For more helpful marketing tips and information, be sure to also join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.