Whether one realizes it or not, many common activities involve some form of etiquette. Hopping on the city bus? You follow bus etiquette. Using your phone? You practice cell phone etiquette. At the grocery store? Yup, you guessed it. And, it’s no different when it comes to social media— especially for businesses.

With the explosive popularity of various social networks and the need to feel connected at all times, it’s important that both individuals and companies exercise proper social etiquette. If a customer was calling about a concern with your product or service, you wouldn’t ignore them and hang up, would you? In that case, why would you ignore them or respond differently on social media?

Transcript: Social Media Etiquette for B2B Companies

With the internet always at our fingertips, it’s easy to research and shop around for vendors, gain a solid understanding of products and services, and check reviews. This is reason enough why it’s no surprise that an impressive 75% of B2B buyers use social media to learn about potential vendors before even engaging with the brand. Not only does this mean that businesses should have a strong presence on social networks, but a favorable reputation across the internet as a whole, too.

So, what protocol can a company follow to make sure they’re putting their best foot forward when it comes to their social media profiles?

Social Media Etiquette Every Company Should Follow

Respond Promptly

Monitoring your company’s profiles frequently and keeping updated with notifications and mentions is an essential part of being on any social network. When others comment on any of your posts, leave a review, or ask a question, responding to them in a timely manner will show that you truly care about what they have to say and will give others a reason to engage with your brand as well. Also, be sure to respond to ALL comments—positive or negative—to build a healthy relationship between your brand and your fans.

Publish Valuable, Shareable Content

Providing great content for your fans and followers will greatly benefit your business in more ways than one. First, it’ll have viewers coming back for more because they trust the information you’re sharing and will view your brand as a thought leader. Secondly, the more your viewers share and engage with your content, the more Facebook’s algorithm will favor your page, which helps increase organic reach. Whatever your social media strategy is, always remember to inform others and provide value.

Use First Person Plural

Besides being the grammatically correct way to refer to a brand, using pronouns such as “we” and “us” can help make your business sound unified, along with adding a sense of team spirit to your brand on social platforms. Remember, your company’s all in this together!

Keep a Consistent Brand Voice

It’s important to determine what the tone of your company should sound like, especially if there are multiple people posting on behalf of your brand. Is your business more on the serious side and so are your followers? Then keep a professional voice. Does your target audience enjoy a good Friday afternoon meme? Then amuse them with a more lighthearted tone! Be sure to determine this component when establishing your social media strategy.

Hashtag Responsibly

Hashtags can be found across most every social media platform these days. They can be a wonderful asset and should always be used when appropriate. But, just don’t go overboard and #use #hashtags #that #have #nothing #to #do #with #your #content. Trying to jump in on a trending hashtag that your content doesn’t relate to will only cause your followers frustration.

Be Positive

These days, many social media sites are unfortunately being littered with pessimistic and unconstructive matter. Don’t be a Debbie Downer or Negative Nancy—you don’t want your fans to perceive your brand as off-putting. Break through the clutter with upbeat and approachable context to show that you’re excited about providing information and interacting with viewers.

By following these social media etiquette rules, you’ll find your audience responding favorably to your brand. Treat your followers with respect, as you never know when one might turn into a customer.