The Venn diagram between marketing and social media is a blurred one. The overlap is so staunch because there’s often a bit of a disparity between what businesses post about, and what followers expect.

Businesses want to promote the heck out of their services or products, and social media is one of the best avenues around to do that. But so many marketers (many of them talented) miss the mark on how to use social media as an effective marketing tool.

For this article, let’s make things crystal clear. With these Do’s and Don’ts, we’ll take a look at what works and arguably more importantly, what doesn’t.

Do: Provide value. Abide by the 80/20 rule of social media. This essential rule deposits that only 20% of your social media posts should serve to directly promote your business, while the other 80% should inform, educate, and entertain your audience. If your customers have decided to give you a follow, then they’re looking for a deeper level of engagement with your brand.

Don’t: Conversely, don’t overly promote. Your Facebook wall definitely should not look like a list of advertisements. There’s no more sure-fire way to get un-followed than to annoy your loyal customers with flagrant posting habits.

Do: Keep your posts concise. Most people don’t have the time (or inclination) to read several paragraphs worth of information while scrolling through their Facebook feed. If you have something substantial to say, link back to your website with the full story. If you’re too wordy, your followers may just skip over your post entirely.

Don’t: Waste post space. While keeping your posts concise, make sure that every single word counts. If you can turn a ten-word sentence into a three-word one, and still convey your message properly, then do it.

Do: Let your followers know about deals, promotions, events, and more. This is how you advertise, but without doing it shamelessly. It’s like I said earlier, it’s about providing value.

Don’t: Post too often. Even if your content is awesome, no one wants their news feed to be clogged with posts from a single page. Don’t be like that one friend that posts eight times a day.

Do: Stay engaged. Ask questions. Respond to comments. It helps your brand develop not only a personality, but a relationship with the community.

Don’t: Bore your followers. Developing a voice, and injecting an element of entertainment into your posts will keep your customers engaged in your messaging.

 

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Have any social media marketing suggestions to share? Sound off in the comments!