Dos and Donts of Social Media From Kathleen Gagewww.PowerUpForProfits.com

5 Dos of Social Media Marketing

1. Leverage your time and effortsDetermine what is personal and what is professional.Theres a huge difference. Family often doesnt care aboutyour business activities, and your clients may not give ahoot about where you went with Aunt Betsy over theweekend.Know what you want to accomplish within a specificamount of time. Getting the most out of social media takesdiscipline, with tracking time being at the top.

2. Complete your profileIts amazing how many people have an incomplete profile.If youre using social media for business, the profile is yourcalling card. Potential clients do read profiles. If they aregoing to engage your services they want to know you arequalified. A well thought-through profile makes theirdecision-making process easier.

3. Be authenticThe world of business has changed for many of us. In yearspast, we were told to act, talk, dress and behave in waysthat may not have conveyed our authentic self. Today, itsabout creating community with those who are aligned withour vision and us with theirs. Because of this, there is a lotof advantage to being truly authentic.Will everyone resonate with us? Absolutely not. Thats OK.When we know who we are and connect with a community(tribe) we are aligned with, we are able to thrive in waysthat were not possible in the past.

4. Time your activitiesAs previously mentioned, you do want to utilize your timeeffectively. Its easy to spend far too much time in socialnetworks and diddle your day away.Although it is very important to spend quality time in yourtargeted social networks, to go in and out all day is noteffective. Put a specific amount of time aside, up to threetimes a day, to post, respond to messages and connectwith others.You will get much more done by taking 15 minutes threetimes in a day in your social networks than not to scheduleout your time.

5. Give yourself a cooling off periodI dont know too many people, who have not gotten irkedby something someone posted. When you see somethingyou dont like, the urge to immediately lash back mightsurface.If something irritates or angers you, rather than respondingimmediately, take time to step away from the situation,regroup, and then respond.After all, once something is posted, thats it. Theres noturning back.

5 Donts of Social Media Marketing

1. Not everyone wants to read your postsDont assume that everyone is reading what you areposting. The fact is, not everyone cares about what youpost. Or even if they care, they may not have time to readeverything you send their way.

2. Not everyone shares your opinionIts easy to see how feelings get hurt around politics,religion, gun rights, and other heated topics. Dont assumethat everyone in your circle of friends, your connections,your circles or your followers have the same views as youhave.The beauty of social media is that we have the opportunityto learn about many cultures, beliefs, lifestyles and views.To assume everyone believes as we do shuts the door onthe possibility of incredible dialogue that can mend fences,break down walls and bridge differences.

3. Dont add without permissionIts pretty frustrating to find out weve been added to agroup, without our permission. Avoid adding people justbecause you think they would like to be in your group. Askfirst.

4. Dont forget your mannersIt seems that some people have forgotten basic mannerswhen it comes to social media. Act as if you are face to facewith the people you communicate with, and its likely yourmanners will be at their best. For some reason, in thevirtual world many people have lost sight of what goodmanners are.Dont share personal information about others unless theygive you permission. Be careful about what pictures youchoose to put up with others in the shot. They may notwant their image posted.

5. Dont tag others if youre promoting as an affiliateOften people will promote an experts event, product orservice as an affiliate. Its not cool to tag the expert whenyou post because then you are marketing to theircommunity. As an affiliate, its about you marketing to yourcommunity.If they give you permission to tag, then go for it. But unlessyou know for sure this is okay, avoid the temptation.

In conclusionSocial media is one of the most powerful ways to reachyour market, position your expertise and grow yourbusiness. And as you read, there are definite dos anddonts to getting the most out of your efforts.Above and beyond anything, common sense is theessential element to achieve optimum results.

Free VideoMarketing 101: 3 Must-Dos in Marketing http://www.PowerUpForProfits.com