www.liveworld.com May 3, 2013

How to Be A Great Social Host?

•  At LiveWorld, we always compare social media interactions to an online party. We even advise brands on what type of “party” best represents the mood they with to convey.

•  Whether you’re a Fortune 500 enterprise or a small start-up, and whether you want to throw a real-time conversation party on Twitter or a casual chat on Facebook, there are always some do’s and don’ts that should guide your “social media manners” as a social host

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Tip #1: Don’t Only Talk About Yourself

•  Promote your brand and “foster engagement and dialogue among your customers.” This means sharing non-brand information that will start a conversation – maybe post a tweet, something like, “Here’s an interesting stat from today’s Wall Street Journal.”

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Tip #2: Create A Warm Atmosphere

•  A brand can’t be too personal or too social.

•  The point of social media is to be social. This is especially easy for a small business.

•  Introduce the key players in your company as real people, not just titles.

•  Let your fans know you’re interested in more than selling by posing questions unrelated to your business or only marginally related to it.

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Tip #3: Admit Screw-ups

•  Mistakes happen, both in parties and in business.

•  Instead of ignoring a stumble or hoping it won’t be discovered (and for sure, it will be), “own it and embrace it”

•  Apologize, it that’s appropriate, explain what you’ll do differently next time, and offer free shipping or a discount on the next order.

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Tip #4: Mingle But Don’t Get Manic •  Remember, you can’t insert yourself into every

conversation at your party, nor should you. The same is true for Facebook and Twitter.

•  If you post too often, you’re filling up your page with too much you.

•  It’s good etiquette to thank people for re-tweeting. It’s also wise to respond to Facebook posts and shares.

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Tip #5: Don’t’ Argue with Your Guests

•  At your party, your uncle complains about the cilantro in the guacamole. Online, a customer disparages a new product. Don’t respond defensively or combatively.

•  Ignore or respond carefully to negative comments; sometimes others active in the social media sphere will rise to your defense or otherwise defuse the criticism

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Thank you! Read more social media trends & best practices on

www.liveworld.com

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