Social media is an instant outlet for businesses of all sizes to promote their services and products. It reaches across borders and often provides easy to evaluate backend analytics to see how the audience responds to each post. While most corporations have teams dedicated to social media, the average small business owner or social media manager is most likely be a first timer. Personal etiquette does not necessarily translate onto the business social media pages online, and as such those new to social media marketing may be prone to a few mistakes..

To help you out, here are 4 tips to help avoid some common social media business blunders.

1. Keep your account, usernames and passwords organized – One rookie mistake for social media marketers is posting updates on the wrong account. Be extra careful if you handle several accounts for different businesses. Avoid posting mistakes by logging out of accounts when you are done, and store your usernames and passwords in a safe place such as a Dropbox or Evernote. By having it in the cloud, it is easier to share with a designated team member in your company, and allows for faster switching between accounts.
2. Don’t take too long to respond to your followers – This is especially true if you are a service oriented business such as a business consultant or restaurant. Customers often leave feedback on sites such as Yelp but the ones who were extremely satisfied – or dissatisfied – with a service will often go out of their way to make their voices heard and post on your Facebook wall or tweet directly to you. Address these comments and concerns swiftly to keep your online image in good shape.
3. Don’t pay for followers – While it is tempting for small business owners to pay for thousands of followers online overnight for small fee, it can backfire in the long run. Most customers who browse a company’s social media site are technically savvy enough to spot a phony account from a mile away. If you have two hundred thousand followers on Twitter and only 1 tweet or retweet, people will second guess your account’s authenticity, and may eventually second guess your business as well.
4. Think twice (or more) before posting – Another beginner mistake businesses make is automating their posts online. One example of how this can come back to bite you was an automated tweet by the UK supermarket chain Tesco when it tweeted: “It’s sleepy time so we’re off to hit the hay!” This untimely post came out at a time when the grocery giant was under investigation for a horse-meat scandal. As you can imagine, this automated reply caused an even bigger headache for the grocery giant.

It is important to realize that social media pages are live 24/7 and never sleep. Pay attention to your image online and you will gain your customer’s trust and business in the long run.

For more social media and online marketing tips, download our free Internet Marketing Guide to maximize your online presence.