How To Be Positive Without Annoying Anyone

By Sanya Weathers

One of the keys to success with social media is to use a normal tone of voice. One person talking with another person does not (usually) shout, sound like a commercial, or make pronouncements with no room for discussion. But when you’re posting as the public face of a company, you can’t be too real. You can never have a bad day, for example. Sarcasm, as I know to my sorrow, plays well to a niche audience composed of people just like you… but not so much to a mass market.

Most importantly, you have to be positive. The perception of a product across social media channels is not entirely up to you, but you have a chance to set the tone and not add to the default negativity of the internet.  At the same time, too much bright and shiny stuff will ring false. Someone relentlessly cheerleading even in the face of problems isn’t a force for good – he is annoying. If you’re too annoying, you’ll lose followers. Here are two tips for striking a balance:

Positive language. You don’t have to run around shrieking about how great everything is. You can use positive language in a very quiet way. Subtlety is one of the most effective online tools, possibly because so few people try it. Simply cut these four words from your professional feed: No/never/not/but.

It sounds too easy, but just by avoiding these negative words, you’ll elevate the tone and feel of your posts. (“But” should be replaced with “and.”) Getting rid of those four words will force you to find ways to say negative things with positive language.

Positive action. More important than positive language is positive action. People want to know what you’re doing, especially when things are going wrong. Be as specific as you can. “Our technical director is investigating.” “Our server maintenance team is switching out some equipment.” “Our customer service managers are reimbursing the affected accounts.” If you have no idea what’s going on, you can still tell people what you’ve done: “I have emailed the producer.” “I have left a voice mail for the QA manager.” “I am not leaving my desk until I have some information for you.”

What tips and tricks do you use to stay positive?