On social media websites, anyone with any hint of expertise or experience will know that interaction and connection are crucial to business tactics. Websites need to have their content updated, even if they’re designed to discourage any form of interaction. On social media, interaction and connection are so crucial to the whole process that it is impossible to successfully use them without discarding the “old ways” and getting in touch with the newer, more open outlook of the Internet.

The first mistake that some companies make is to treat social media like a flier or poster once the content is up. This means that they update the content, saying what they believe needs to be said or announced, but ignore it during the in-between. Depending on the company, that “in-between” period can last anywhere from a few days to weeks or months. This is a big mistake, since an inactive account can lead consumers to assume that the company isn’t there or doesn’t care. That means they’ll ignore the place for prolonged periods, potentially missing out on what the company wants them to know about.

Interactivity is a big factor in the successful use of social media websites, yet difficult for traditional marketing and branding mindsets to grasp. The company needs to be there regularly and consistently, to interact with the customers and “friends” in a personal manner. Humor, anecdotes and personal experience – all of these are possible factors. Yet, there is also the need to retain professionalism and detachment through all of the interactions. In other words, the company needs to manage to be personal enough to engage the people in their network, but detached enough that they don’t become part of the crowd they’re trying to win over.

Learning how to interact with customers can be difficult for the more traditional marketing mindset. A lot of the old ways focus on creating the content, letting it out and ignoring its existence unless it becomes a problem. To use social media to brand and market, things have to be looked at from a different perspective.