There are many reasons you may wish to mention other brands online, whether it’s on your blog, website or social media profile.
Perhaps you’re sharing some hot new industry news, or maybe you’ve had an opportunity to play with some of their products before general release.
Regardless of the reason, you’re mentioning another brand; there is, of course, some online etiquette to consider. Here’s what you should be doing!
Be polite and keep it civil.
Consider the internet a professional environment when communicating with other brands or businesses. If you were to walk into their office, you’d probably be as polite as possible – so don’t think online is any different!
Even if there are things you don’t like about the brand or that you disagree with, you should still aim to keep things civil.
Don’t use their copyrighted materials without permission.
If you’re using anything in your post that belongs to the other brand – for example, a product photo or graphic, don’t even consider using it until you know you have their explicit permission.
Many brands will feature a press kit, which will allow third parties to use certain materials when talking about them online, however, if there’s something specific you want to use – ask them first!
Always be truthful.
When talking about another brand online, you should always be truthful. Lying about a brand only makes you look bad – even if it was unintentional. If there’s something you’re not sure of, make sure you ask for clarification before reporting on it to your followers.
Be welcoming to their fans.
If you mention another brand, it’s likely that their fans and followers will visit your post or site to take a look at what’s been said. Be thankful for the additional traffic and welcome them – even if they are there to read about someone else. There’s a good chance they’ll stay and check out your other content too.
Say hi on social media.
If you’ve said something positive about another brand, they’re likely to be pleased to hear about it. Don’t be shy, go ahead and say hi on social media – even if it’s just as simple as ‘Hey, check out our post about your cool new product!’
Both your followers and theirs will take an interest, and it may be the start of a new business connection between the two of you.
By following these tips, you should have a positive experience when mentioning other brands on social media – even if your view of them is the opposite.
If you run a blog, website or social media pages for your business, do you ever mention other brands? If so, what’s your usual protocol?
Tell us about it in the comments – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
