5 Social Media FAQs (and Answers)
You’ve got social media questions, we’ve got answers.
Social media is a dynamic medium where change seems to be the only constant. But best practices, for the most part, remain consistent.
I like to help business owners get the most out of their social media efforts. With that, here are answers to five of the more common questions I receive.
1. How much time should I spend on social media?
The short answer: 20 minutes a day. A quick review of your sites, popping in to give a like here, a retweet there. You should be good.
A more extensive answer: Consider quality over quantity in this instance. If you’re spending 60 minutes a day on Facebook interacting with your network, answering questions, and developing new connections, that’s not necessarily a bad use of time.
But if you’re spending an hour—or more—aimlessly wandering through your news feed, it’s time to start thinking about how your social media activities are stealing time from your more productive business-building activities.
Bonus: How to manage your social media time.
2. What are hashtags?
A word or phrase on social media—Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.—preceded by a hash or pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a specific topic, according to Oxford Dictionaries.
Take advantage of hashtags to follow along with conversations about a certain topic (bookmark this site: search.twitter.com).
Bonus: What are hashtags and why are they important?
3. What type of information should I post?
Social media allows you to show off a bit. It lets you let people know what makes you tick. If you’re a business owner, especially one that not only provides a product or service but who also recruits individuals to join your company, this is valuable.
Share information that interests you. Be interested and interesting. Don’t forget the “social” part of social media. If you share something, make sure you take time to respond to comments or engage in a discussion with your audience.
Above all, don’t feel like you have to generate a ton of unique information on your own. Take advantage of content that is already available to you that might resonate with your social audiences (content on What’s Up, USANA?, for instance, which could apply to a wide range of potential customers).
Bonus: 5 Tips to Use What’s Up, USANA? effectively
4. Do I need to have a presence on multiple social sites?
Short answer: No. Weird coming from a social media guy, huh?
This is where you really need to determine your overall business goals and objectives. Find out what those are, and then see which social media site(s) can best help you achieve those goals.
Think about the audience you want to reach and explore various options. If you’ve only got 20 minutes a day for social, you won’t want to spread yourself too thin across many sites.
Bonus: Which social media site is right for you? (opens PDF)
5. Why should I care about social media?
I’ve given this one a lot of thought. In fact, it’s the focus of a presentation I give to our new leaders each quarter when they visit the Home Office for Leadership Summit. Here’s why I think you as a business owner should care:
- Communication: Put simply, it’s a big way people communicate today. They’re asking Facebook friends (which may or may not be the same as real-life friends) for recommendations all the time. Social media provides you with the opportunity to let others know who you are and what you do. It also allows you to answer questions in your area(s) of expertise.
- Earned media: It’s the value you gain from what other people say about your business. They’re talking about you online, so make sure you’re there to hear what they’re saying.
- It’s where consumers are: Obviously. Step in and provide value for your potential customers.
Bonus: Why is social media important for business?
More Social Media Questions?
Do you have additional social media questions? Ask away in the comments—or share this blog post on Facebook and include your question in your status update.
One of the great aspects of social media is that it’s social. If we’re not able to answer your questions, chances are someone in your existing social network will know the answer. Or it might be available in our Social Media Tip archives.
Give it a try and remember to keep it social!
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Tim — I joined USANA in December and have been wanting to post to my Facebook, Twitter and LInkedIn accounts. The problem is that we have to be compliant in what we post, which I haven’t had a chance to research yet. Where’s the best place to go to get a quick, down and dirty, overview of what I can and can’t do on social media to promote my business, our products and help generate interest?
Robert — First, welcome to USANA! And second, thank you for asking a great question.
Yes, compliance is important when it comes to social media. You’ll want to familiarize yourself with the Policies and Procedures that guide what Associates are allowed to do and say when it comes to health and income claims (which applies to social as well).
When it comes to social media specifically, I recommend visiting a page on this blog: http://bit.ly/usanadigital. It includes a quick compliance one-sheet and other FAQs when it comes to remaining compliant on social media. These documents will be updated prior to the 2015 USANA International Convention.
Calls to action aren’t allowed on public social media, unless they have already been approved by USANA (you can find a list of approved calls to action on The Dr. Oz Show section of The Hub). We are hoping down the road to add additional general calls to action for Associates to use.
Our Ethics and Education (Compliance) team is great to work with. Please feel free to reach out to them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/USANAEthics) or via email ([email protected]) with questions.
Best of luck and thank you!
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