Table of Contents
Introduction
Social Media Shortcuts – Social networks have their shortcuts, like keyboard shortcuts. These are things you can learn once and use everywhere.
I love learning new keyboard shortcuts. They certainly speed up typing. In the early 90s, I realized my first shortcuts: Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, and Ctrl+V, also known as cut, copy and paste.
And they still work today. They work almost everywhere. Even Mac computers use the same letters. Instead of Ctrl, the Mac uses Command as the modifier key.
It drives me crazy. The Command and Ctrl keys are in different places on the keyboard, not many, just enough to turn my fingers into clumsy contortionists. Fingers don’t work as fast as on a Windows keyboard. But I digress. Let’s get back to basics.
Keyboard shortcuts save a lot of time because you can learn them once and apply them everywhere.
The same goes for social networks.
What are Social Media Shortcuts?
Some social media best practices work on all networks. For example, sharing original, relevant, and valuable content often drives clicks and gets shared across networks. On Twitter, you tweet a brief thought or piece of advice. You can add thoughts or suggestions on Facebook and LinkedIn in a paragraph or two or three.
The same goes for sharing relevant and valuable articles your target audience wants to read. However, social networks like LinkedIn don’t like links. They want to keep people on their website.
Instead of just sharing the article and link, comment on it. Share the gist of the article’s message and your thoughts. Then, sneak the link in the comments. Another option is to publish the post and then edit it to add the link.
If the item has a photo or you have one related to it, you can pin it on Pinterest or take a picture and post it on Instagram. (You can rarely go wrong with photos of cats or dogs. Yes, even in business! Some of my most popular images on social media consist of one or the other.)
Create A Complete Social Media Profile – Social Media Shortcuts
Social media shortcuts It is golden rule number 1. Do not go, follow, like, comment, or do anything until you have created a complete profile. If you do, people may not follow you or like you. Some prefer to know a little more about you before contacting you.
I tend not to connect with people who don’t have a profile. Likewise, I rarely connect with someone with a biography but no photo. Most of the time, I connect with those who have both.
Before doing anything on a new social network, fill out your profile and add a photo. It doesn’t take long, as you should have both available. Then, copy and paste a biography and upload a suitable image.
No photography? Ask a colleague or friend to take a close-up photo of you with a suitable top and a plain bottom. If you don’t have time to do this, come back later. However, don’t do anything else until you verify this.
Build relationships – Social Media Shortcuts
The best way to make social media shortcuts work for your business is the same almost everywhere. Approach it from a relationship-building perspective through conversations. Treat people like people, not sales opportunities.
Yes, social media gives you a forum to provide customer service. Helping customers strengthens the relationship.
Yes, businesses want to make sales. But few will drop a dime without getting to know you.
Would you do a business deal on the first DM or tweet you see from a company promoting their services?
This quote from Zig Ziglar describes a great way to approach social media. “You can have anything you want if you just help other people get what they want.”
Think about the last time someone helped you. It should be easy because we tend to remember people who have done something for us. In addition, every social network allows you to help others.
Respond on social media – Social Media Shortcuts
Listening is half the equation, especially when a customer complains.
Customers forgive mistakes. They want recognition.
If you have no answers, please reply as soon as possible. A simple “Thanks for letting us know. We’ll review it and get back to you on Friday” works.
Mention others – Social Media Shortcuts
When mentioning other people in an update, such as the author of an article, add @ before the person’s name to make the character a clickable link. It also works on most social networks. (On some networks, you can type a word without @, and a list appears.)
People can receive notifications when they’ve been mentioned or search for mentions. It lets them think about your business and visit your social media profile. Most of us appreciate a comment. The positives, of course.
Conclusion
Just like keyboard shortcuts, these social media shortcuts work everywhere in the world. Of course, each has unique shortcuts that won’t work elsewhere. you adapt. That’s why it’s not efficient to automatically publish the same content on several social networks. You may be able to automatically post to two networks, but rarely more than that.