If you are a marketing professional like me, it is important to always know the new trends in your industry. Social media has become an important platform for marketers achieve their company's goals. Here are some of my tips on how to use social media as an effective tool to improve brand awareness and increase profits.

Most professionals know that business etiquette is the art of building and developing professional relations based on trust and integrity. It’s about consideration and respect toward the people you encounter in your enterprise. It can make your interactions more harmonious, profitable, and help your company thrive.

Likewise, social media etiquette reflects the thoughtful consideration of your online connections and community followers. After all, they are key to reaching your own business goals, aspirations and ultimate success.

For most small and medium sized companies, social media can be an intimidating marketing platform but to remain competitive, it can no longer be ignored. Here is a quick guide to get you started.

Do keep it personal

Sending automated and impersonal responses can send the wrong message. It signals to a connection that you don’t value him enough to craft a personalized message.

If you’re sending a connection request, do a little research on the individual you are interested in. Send a message that highlights why it makes sense to extend your relationship and add a bit of context and personality to the message.

While social media automation can come in really handy at times, you lose the opportunity to engage and develop a genuine relationship. What’s worse is that some social media networks flag auto direct messages as spam.

Don’t spam

Too many updates can turn off and annoy to your contacts. We all want to be top of mind and push prospects further into the sales funnel. But inundating their news feed would have the opposite effect.

Be mindful of what you are sharing. Constantly ask yourself if your posts are useful and add value to your followers. Figure out the optimal times for engagement and schedule your updates accordingly. A content calendar will help you keep track of your posts.

Avoid appearing too needy. Don’t constantly ask your followers to retweet and share or beg them to like your page. Get creative. These are valid marketing objectives but you must accomplish them through compelling and share-worthy content.

Don’t be too caught up with the sales pitch

Using every interaction as a chance to sell comes across as irritating and desperate. It gives the impression that you’re only interested in making the sale. That it is all about you and not how you help connections solve their own challenges.

Customize your interactions and focus on meeting the specific needs of each of your connection. Take the time to learn more about their business and understand what they’re expecting from your relationship. Putting their needs and interests first builds trust because it shows that you’re serious about establishing a mutually beneficial relationship.

If they ask for information on the pricing of your product or service, take the conversation offline or use private messages. Other users may not be interested in hearing the details of your negotiations.

Don’t badmouth your competition

Monitoring the social media accounts of your competition is a good way to learn about their business strategies. But tread with caution if you intend to use this information against your rivals. You must always appear professional with competing brands on social media. Criticising may make your company look like it cannot stand on its own merit and you will appear desperate in the eyes of your own followers.

But this doesn’t mean you should ignore another company that deliberately tarnishes your online reputation. Respond to their negative comments just as you would to feedback from your own customers. Present facts and figures to disprove their claims. Your audience deserves to hear your side of the story to decide for themselves if your competition’s badmouthing is even worth considering.

While online conversations tend to be more relaxed and informal, social media etiquette should not be taken for granted. Develop them like any other practical skill and you will find that being social media savvy will be a key ingredient to your digital marketing success.