For many people using social media for business one of the toughest challenges is to know where you stop and the business account begins. What we mean by this is that you’re all told that social media is a place that brands can express themselves, interact and provide a bit of personality. But this isn’t your own account, it’s for your business. So where do you stop? Go too stiff with it and you’ll gain very little, go too far and you might end up alienating or upsetting potential customers.

Here’s a few Do’s and Don’ts to follow if you’re taking on, or responsible for, a business social media account…

1.Don’t make it about you

First key point is that we all have opinions; some may be a little more out there than others, but one thing is for sure, as far as your business account is concerned, social media is not the place for airing them. Steer clear of your own personal life, political views and alike as not everyone may share them. You want to engage and not to alienate, so use your personal account to be yourself, and the business account to promote the company as a friendly, approachable and professional outfit.

2.Do be friendly

Wishing someone a good morning on Twitter doesn’t take more than a few seconds, but it reflects very well on your business. Has someone tweeted that they’ve won an award or got a new job? Say congratulations and show that you’re a friendly company!

It can be easy to forget that behind the social media account or Twitter handle there is a real human being, and we like nothing more than someone being appreciative of our successes, and generally being nice!

3.Don’t get political

There have obviously been some big events in British politics recently, but it is important to keep it off of your business’ social media accounts. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but your business profile is about your business; don’t invite negative replies, comments, and interactions by posting your thoughts on the EU or new Prime minister. If you consider the Brexit vote split the country broadly in down the middle, stating a position or outright opinion either way is likely to be at odds with half of your followers.

4.Do interact

Everyone loves getting a reply or a like, so do it! Conversation online can be the start of a new business relationship or a new customer, so it’s definitely worth the time and effort. Interaction will make you stand out to people, they’ll remember your company name and have positive feelings towards your business.

5.Don’t have a rant

Yes, I know it can be tempting to bash out 4 tweets in a row about a useless person who didn’t do what you asked and they’re so awful and rude. However, your business will not be helped with negativity. In the past, I’ve seen restaurant twitter accounts posting about how annoying late customers are, now there is a negative association with that restaurant in my mind. You may be right about whatever you’re complaining about, but it will only come across as negative and bad.

6.Do use emojis and GIFs

Making people laugh is one of the easiest ways to gain interaction. Emojis and GIFs are great for adding a bit of comedy to your tweet or post. Twitter have even added a GIF keyboard so there are thousands of funny pictures at the click of a button!

7.Don’t ignore customers

It can be easy to always focus on new customers and attracting them to your business. Remember the people that already use you and interact with them on a regular basis. You want to build effective contact points with them up to the point at which they come to need your services or product again. We promote our clients a lot; if they’re doing well then we’re happy, and we know they appreciate this, so do the same for yours.