Social Media Do’s and Don’ts

Social media has a global penetration rate of 51% (71% in the UK), meaning over half of the world’s population uses it. With the right strategy and knowledge, it can be used to take your marketing to the next level. Take a look at our top do’s and don’ts for effective social media marketing.

Do’s

Have a strategy

Your social media strategy should act as an outline for how your company will use your platforms to achieve your communication goals and will ensure that your content is being kept relevant and to the point.

It should be used as the basis of all social media posts you make and should mean that the tone of posts is kept consistent regardless of who within the company makes them. Consider it to be a recipe book for your company’s posts.

Use a variety of images and videos, not just text

Adding media to your social media posts is essential in ensuring that they stand out from the crowd. With so many posts and so much high-quality content out there, simple text just doesn’t cut it any more.

There is a huge amount of evidence to prove the effectiveness of video in social media marketing, so try to include them wherever possible.

85% of consumers want brands to produce more videos this year

83% of consumers would consider sharing a brand video they enjoyed with their friends

Remember your Brand

Try and maintain your brand style and tone of voice in your social posts.

Remember you are trying to engage with your community and not just sell to them so maintain a good balance between local engagement and on-brand messaging.

Avoid overuse of Google images which can cheapen the look and feel of your feeds.

Encourage interaction from customers

Asking your audience questions is a great way to do this. The audience will appreciate the invitation to the conversation, and it makes them feel like your company cares about what they have to say.

Another way you could encourage interaction is by encouraging people to tag their friends – this brings the extra bonus of increasing the reach of your posts.

Almost 59% of consumers engage with brands on social media – sometimes up to three times a day.

singlegrain.com

Act professionally – be open, honest and respectful

Remember that the social media posts you publicise are giving an impression of your facility, so it’s very important to keep a professional tone with any and all interactions.

Use your common sense

It’s important to remain self-aware when using social media to promote your company. Consider what you are posting, tweeting, and direct messaging before you do it, not after.

Laughter is a universal language and one of our first communication methods

Angie Pascale

ClickZ

Use humour, but remain professional

Humour is a major pre-requisite when it comes to viral content; it prevents posts from feeling sterile and helps them to stand out. Combine this with the use of common sense and you’re onto a winner.

Use emojis and exclamation marks where appropriate

Using an emoji in a tweet has been found to increase engagement by up to 25% 😲. Use emojis that make sense in the context of your post, in the same way you would in a text message; keep it relevant and don’t go crazy! 👍

Proof-read your posts

A quick proof-read can save a lot of grief when it comes to social media marketing. Check for typos, homophones, and make sure hashtags are not being used out of context.

Ask users to share their positive experiences of your facilities

Social media is a gold mine for feedback, so why not utilise it?

Chances are the majority of your customers will be on social media, and this can be used to collect and re-share positive experiences, which in turn will promote a positive brand image. As mentioned in the section about encouraging interaction, your customers will enjoy feeling included in the conversation too.

42% of consumers expect a response on social media within 60 minutes.

The Social Habit

Be responsive

Don’t allow your customers to feel like they are being left in the dark. If it isn’t feasible to respond in a timely manner, putting in place an automated response is a good alternative, but should always be followed up.

Don’ts

Don’t just post centre updates

This can be useful on occasion, but it’s important to keep content fresh and relevant.

Instead of filling your platforms with centre updates, try sharing articles from external sites, such as Swim England or the NHS, sharing the benefits of a membership with your centre or of a particular exercise, or workout ideas.

Get even more ideas from our monthly Social Media Guides.

Don’t use too much of your own personality

It’s important to remember that you are representing your brand on company social media platforms, not yourself.

Try to be careful when it comes to discussing personal opinions on company social media pages, and remember to stick to the aforementioned marketing strategy.

Don’t use engagement-bait tactics

Seeing a barrage of spam when browsing social media is frustrating and boring, and should serve as a lesson not to use it, even if it does increase engagement metrics (e.g. likes, comments, shares).

Certain social media platforms (particularly Facebook) are cracking down on this type of post and are demoting and sometimes deleting them.

Don’t use too many platforms for the sake of it

By spreading across too many platforms, your content may become diluted and stale. As well as this, some platforms may not be appropriate and clash with your marketing strategy.

Focus on the social media platforms that work best for your content. For leisure facilities, the most effective platforms tend to be Facebook, Instagram, and then Twitter.

Don’t share sensitive information

According to SmarterMSP, up to 70% of people have shared sensitive business information.

It is essential that staff are clearly instructed on what sensitive information is, and the importance of not allowing any leaks.

Sensitive business information includes anything that poses a risk to the company in question if discovered by a competitor or the general public.

Social Media Do’s and Don’ts Guide