10 Golden Rules of Social Media Marketing

Emily Williams
Published: 06/21/2012
Posted by: RET Staff

There’s so much to read about social media, so many “experts” spouting daily advice. I don’t know about you, but I get tired of it all and a little overwhelmed. So, I’m taking on an intimidating task today, I’m going to try to boil it all down into 10 golden rules that I see most often. Feel free to add onto my list in the comments section below.

Rule #1: Start a conversation with your connections.
Social media is about interaction and making connections. You can’t have a conversation if there’s only one person talking. So, ask questions and respond when others ask questions of you. Encourage comments and provide feedback to the comments that are made. Even if others speak disrespectfully, keep your cool and rise above. Maintain a consistently polite and professional tone.

Rule #2: Provide value.
Give them a reason to keep coming back. Use social media as an exclusive outlet for contests, games, and other incentives. The key is providing value, so useful information also counts as an incentive to keep visitors coming back.

Rule #3: Use and effectively leverage all major social media outlets.
Don’t be among those who say, “Sure, I have a Twitter profile, but I don’t like Facebook.” If you truly want to succeed with social media, you need to understand the differences between the major social media sites and build an effective presence on (and strategy for) each of them. The big names in social media are: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. If you’ve got the energy and the inclination, you may also want to consider Pinterest, StumbleUpon, and any other social media sites that interest you.

Rule #4: Understand the etiquette.
I said it best in my article, “Don’t Be Spam.” Your social media profiles are YOUR real estate and it’s up to you what gets posted there. However, when it comes to the Facebook Pages of others, you need to show more restraint. Don’t post your listings on someone else’s Page unless you’re absolutely certain they’re appropriate there.