Caution Ahead: Social Media Marketing Don’ts

Last week, we gave you five steps to social media domination. But here at LJ, we know that the road to greatness is strewn with the profiles of once-great social media players that didn’t quite make it. What can we say, social media marketing is a tough game, and those that can’t take the heat should recycle their computers. Here are three blunders to avoid on your path to social media ubiquity:

1. Don’t Be a Robot

The entire reason social media exists is because it is personal, social, and fun. Translation: no one wants to talk to a robot. While posting with regularity is important, make sure your schedule isn’t making you churn out messages that sound flat and are devoid of personality.
We spent a month teaching you the basics of brand buildings, so use them. Every message you put out into the world has the power to change the public’s view of your business, so every message should go through at least a brief editing process for brand consistency. (Tip: you will have better odds of a consistent brand tone if you appoint one person to do the editing

2. But Don’t Get Too Personal

Personal is social media gold, but there are things that can be considered a little too personal for business brand-building types of profiles. Among them are: any controversial statements about politics, religion, and current events; derogatory comments about sports teams, celebrities, or other companies; and anything risque enough to turn off the most conservative segment of your audience. The age-old dating cliche applies here – if you can’t retweet it to your mom, it’s probably not SFM (that is, safe for marketing).

3. Don’t Argue

We all know that guy. He closely monitors the walls of his buddies, waiting for the chance to pounce on any viewpoint that doesn’t match his own convictions. We cannot stress this enough: don’t be that guy. Facebook wall arguments are tiresome when they appear on the wall of a close friend; on a business page, they can be downright repulsive.
If someone else posts something controversial on your wall, it’s time to make a judgment call. If the comment is truly inappropriate or you believe the person is trolling, delete the comment and carry on. If, however, the comment reflects a true concern about your company, we advise you to leave the comment up and respond to it in the most friendly, accommodating, and proactive way possible.
This tactic works for 3 reasons: a) It brings you down to earth and shows your dedication to customer service, b) Chances are the customer is not the only one with this concern, and by dealing with it in the open, you are indirectly handling the inquiries of others. c) It proves that there is a real human on the other side of your profile, something social media users can be skeptical about with business profiles.
There you have it – don’t do these things and you’ll be in for a smoother ride up the winding road to social media marketing domination.
 
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