A fundamental part of effectively building a social media network is positively and beneficially interacting with other social media users. Another part is being able to successfully ask members of your social media network for assistance and participation – either collectively or individually. Doing this successfully directly relates to the social media etiquette you display when you’re making a big social media "ask" of your audience.
There are clearly better and worse ways to ask your social media network for action. And based on requests we have received lately, there are a variety of basic social media etiquette practices social media users (even prominent ones) don’t know, selectively follow, or choose to blatantly ignore.
11 Keys to Seeking Social Media Network Help
When it comes to seeking help from your social media network . . .
- If you solicit people in your social media network to leave comments on your new blog post, be prepared to check for pending comments throughout the day and APPROVE them as they are made.
- When asking your social media network to “Like” or “Follow” your new social media presence, start sharing content in advance so your social media presence looks like an active one.
- If you're going to direct message someone to prompt them to retweet your important new social media content, make sure the link you include works – every time.
- When you request guest blog posts, offer some direction on who your audience target is and provide activation support within your social media network after the guest post appears.
- If you want to become a guest author on a blog, first show up and participate on the blog (or other social networks where the blogger is active) instead of simply making a request out of the blue.
- When writing a guest post for someone else’s blog, don’t send the same post to multiple bloggers.
- If you ask for a review of your book, webinar, or speech, be willing to adapt to a blogger’s writing approach (and actually supply the discount code you promise will be available to the blog’s readers).
- When throwing out a question on Twitter or Facebook to other social media users, be ready to interact with members of your social media network who respond.
- If you insist on sending an auto-direct message to someone who newly follows you on Twitter and include a question in the tweet, follow them back beforehand so they can respond to you with a direct message.
- When asking someone within your social network to do something for you, do something for them first.
- Use “please” and “thank you” liberally - even if it means sending someone another message (or two) to say them.
There are certainly more than these eleven social media etiquette tips, but these provide a solid foundation for cultivating greater social media network success.
What other social media etiquette tips would you add?
What social media etiquette miscues do you see when people make requests via social media? And what successful social media etiquette practices do you appreciate within your social media network? - Mike Brown
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