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Social media has been around for a while now. While some of us have mastered it, we still have some questions that we should know the answer to by now but are afraid to ask at this point. Do not fear, with this post I hope to answer some of these questions so you don’t even have to ask.

What is a hashtag?

A hashtag is a link that is instantly created when the prefix # is added to a word or sentence (withNoSpaces). Its purpose is to aggregate all conversations which mention that word on that social network in real time. It’s important to use hashtags sensibly; overusing them can be annoying and distracting.

Pro tip: Use relevant tags with maybe a location tag depending on the post and the audience you want to reach.

If you want to read more, here is a good article: How To Use Hashtags Effectively Without Being Annoying

Why don’t all my posts go viral?

You can’t “make” something viral. Instead of beginning with this question, you should be thinking about how to build a community around your topic or brand. Put out messages that resonate with them, inspire them, inform them, and help build a long-lasting relationship between your page and the community. Posts that do “break the internet”, however, generally have a few major features: they contain a powerful message, tie-in with a strong cause, touch viewers emotionally, are usually easy to understand, and often have huge budgets backing them up. 😉

How can I activate the blue verified tick on my page?

You actually can’t, it’s not something we have control over. The verified badge is awarded by Facebook brand pages (and Twitter) once they authenticate the page from their end. The whole purpose of verifying an account or page is to identify the official representation in a sea of fake accounts.

Why shouldn’t my brand be on every social media platform?

Each network caters to a difference audience with different interests, and how they express these interests can vary from platform to platform. So choose wisely.

Jumping aboard all possible SM platforms can do more harm than good. It’s much better to have a consistent, reliable, and engaging presence on a few key social media networks rather than trying to do the same thing on too many and failing. When choosing which networks to maintain your brand presence on, keep in mind what each one is best for.

Facebook is a staple. Most users spend at least 18 minutes actively logged in, and it’s a great place to put out content, connect with new and existing fans, and create an enjoyable brand experience for users. Twitter isn’t as much a lead generation platform as much as it is a brand loyalty platform, so it’s a good place to go to communicate with fans one-on-one. LinkedIn is mainly for B2B, not B2C marketing, and  both Instagram and Pinterest are image-centric – so only go there if you’re dedicated to providing quality, high-resolution images and videos.

Do my regular (engagement) posts clash with or clutter my campaign posts when they are running side by side?

No, it doesn’t matter. In fact the reach generated from the engagement posts will help your campaign post to get more organic reach. There is a misconception that the Facebook page timeline needs to kept clean and in chronological order. While this is true, we sometimes do this for the wrong reasons. See, your fans aren’t going to come to your page often to view your content – it’s important to remember that your post’s first contact point with them is on their newsfeed. So whether or not your engagement posts are on while your campaign is running is irrelevant to your fans.

Where on earth has my Ticker gone?

In the last few months, a lot of people have mentioned that their Ticker (the little bar that keeps you updated on what is happening on Facebook in real time) has disappeared. Well, all you have to do is click on the little cog at the bottom of your chat bar and select “Show Ticker” from the menu that appears. You should now be able to see it again!

I hope this has been a useful post and answered at least some of your questions. If you have more questions you would like answers to, do drop a comment. I will try my best to ask them so you don’t have to! 😉

Co-authored by Havish Sivananthan.