by Joshua Barnes, Social Matica
I think we all would like to have some level of publicity about ourselves in a manner that is reflective of our best traits. By nature we’re all prideful and self-centered beings and it’s really only through training that we would learn to do otherwise. Business leaders sometimes make common mistakes when they are not familiar with social media when they first enter. The lack of social media knowledge tends to lead to ineffective marketing efforts. Here are 11 social media mistakes that have been negative to social media in which companies must avoid:
Leaving your profile incomplete
Seems strange, but yes there are those who’ve setup fan pages and really just don’t fill them out. Twitter is no execption. Sure you only have 140 characters but you can at least say something! Don’t leave it blank!
Not having enough fresh content
Although not a systemically solvable problem, it’s one that remains a prolific as N. Korea’s nuclear missile program. If you can’t generate your own, curate some. But don’t leave that precious real-estate without any crops on it!
Don’t OverFeed Your Twitter Account
Some people use feeds to tweet automatically. There’s really nothing wrong with that per se, but one must realize that if you put too many feeds into a single account you’re going to generate massive amounts of robotic tweets. Soon people realize it’s not you but rather a feed and dismissal is likely eminent.
Not separating your business and personal accounts
Yeah it’s on the list but I don’t agree with this one. I don’t see a need to separate them unless you’re just some kind of really fake person who nice to people’s faces and entirely vitriolic behind their back. Though, it has benefits to create a new brand to associate your message with and for that, it makes sense to separate them.
Letting politics and other personal opinions leak into your business account
Businesses should not, if they desire to be appealing, hold political views. It’s pointless and doesn’t offer any gain, in most cases.
Fake Friending
Quality is better than quantity, that way you are seeking out people who will be most vocal about you, and then reach out to THOSE people.
The key is to build REAL relationships. That’s how social media becomes powerful.
Being pushy
Treat followers like you would treat every potential client you meet in person, by not pushing your product but rather trying to create dialog. Direct marketing may work in social media but you need to create relationships prior you trying to position your product or services. And avoid any temptation to directly message a person regarding your product the instant they follow or befriend you.
