How can you teach social media etiquette effectively?

Your business is your reputation, your reputation is your business. You need to get it right. Always be professional and courteous. Don't publicly disagree, if you need to, then take it off line and always be respectful. If something is written down it can always be shared or a screen grab taken.

Etiquette refers to how you behave. The first rule of thumb is simple. Treat others as you would like to be treated online. The second one is similarly easy to follow: behave online as you would in real life. If it takes to networking in person, making small talk, and chit-chatting, what makes you think it's ok to start an online relationship by trying to sell something or wanting to meet immediately!?

For other things to consider (wouldn't post): Potential employers use social media as a means to determine if a candidate is a good cultural fit for their organisation, so always bear that in mind too.

A solid goal when teaching social media etiquette is to overcome the fear of handling rude or abusive comments on social media posts. A university won't have the same approach as a restaurant - but neither organization should just hide the post. It's important to teach that HOW we address the negative comment has a lot to say about the organizations character. For teaching purposes, I recommend sharing examples of how negative comments have been correctly handled on social media posts in multiple industries. *Remember - dance like no one is watching but comment like it's going to be read at a deposition.*

A great example of how to show the impact of not having a social media etiquette in place is to capture examples of it being done well and not so well. It can be a powerful teaching tool. As a teacher, it is important to capture examples in the live environment. Ask your students how they would deal with the scenarios you share.

Always make sure that you include a call to action (CTA) in your content. This helps your audience to understand what you want them to do. Leave a comment, share their perspective, save for later etc. etc.

My mantra is always to treat people as I would want to be treated. Always be polite and respectful. Reply to ALL comments - unless it is spam. Make sure that you are not excluding segments of the population, be inclusive. If you are working in a particular niche then make sure that your content speaks to that. All platforms have a means of blocking and reporting spam so make sure your students know how to do this.

When considering social media etiquette, also consider any regulatory or ethics concerns within your field that determine how you conduct yourself on social media platforms.