The 7 Deadly Sins Of Social Media

One of the biggest pitfalls with Social Media is the person who has a Facebook page, or maybe a Twitter account, and thinks "I know how to do Social Media. I'll take over for my company!" I love the passion that people have for Social Media, but sometimes there needs to be a certain level of training before the keys to the castle are handed over. So to help start the conversation, I present to you the 7 Deadly Sins Of Social Media. Use these as a springboard to train these people (or even yourself) and direct the passion to a great path.

1. Creating an account on every network.

Truth time. You can't be all things to all people all the time. It just can't happen, especially without a large team to manage everything. So one of the first things I teach people is to be selective of where they want to be in Social Media. Take a look at the audience you are trying to talk to. Are the professional, creative, info-junkies, or looking for humor? Understanding your target audience will really help focus on where you should be. I have some clients that are not on Facebook, because it would be a waste of their time and money to be there.

2. Not having a plan.

Probably just as important is to have a plan. What? Have a strategy behind your marketing efforts? Blasphemy! I know a lot of people just want to jump in the world of Social Media because they feel like they need to play catch up, or hit the ground running, but what is important is to identify what you are going to do on these networks. How many posts are you going to throw out there? Who will monitor for comments/remarks, and when? If you want to have videos, what's the production calendar to make sure you are making relevant content? These are just a few things to consider before punching down the gas pedal.

3. Forgetting to post content.

To put it into perspective, success in Social Media is like training for a Marathon, not a Sprint. It's really about the long game, because you are trying to build a network of followers/customers/evangelists/etc. who are loyal to you and your brand. So consistency is key. You don't have to post 30 times a day, but being consistent with your posting calendar is vital. If you run a blog, schedule specific days to have content go online (and plan what will go online). Don't fall into the common trappings of being absent from posting, and try to fill that void with vomiting a ton of content in one day. It's not how much you post, it's when you post, and the quality. A healthy Social Media plan has enough "fiber" to be regular.

4. Creating a Silo. 

One thing that I have run into with some clients has been thinking Social Media is a stand-alone service, and has no place in the overall marketing plan. I can't stress enough that this is 100% false. This last year, I started a Social Media campaign for a client, and the marketing director couldn't understand why it wasn't taking off more. I asked them a simple question: "How do people know these things exist if we don't tell them?" Throughout the ads that were taken out, the marketing pieces for events, no mention was being given to the fact we were also online and approachable. Once that was remedied, we saw a huge influx of growth in not only numbers, but comments and sharing. Social Media isn't the fix-all for everything, but another weapon in your marketing arsenal.

5. Ignoring comments.

Taking #4 one step further, if people are commenting and sharing your content, or reaching out to you, make sure you are responding. You don't know how far a simple "Thank You" can go, even online. One of my current clients has a Facebook page. We were receiving several questions from a single person, and responding as soon as possible. This helped not only satisfy their answers, but others commented, and helped in the conversation. On a side note, that same person eventually decided they didn't like our brand, and wrote several inappropriate comments on every single post we had posted on Facebook. It was the first person I ever had to ban. And because of the transparency we had been using with responding to comments, no one asked why we banned her, or if it was a bad thing. Being honest and transparent can be a great CYA policy for your brand.

One quick personal story here. About six months ago my wife and I went to our local Best Buy to pick up a product for her father's birthday. Without all the details, it was truly the worst customer service I had ever experienced, and we left to purchase the same product across the street at another store. I was extremely upset, and tweeted about it with mentioning @bestbuy in the tweets. Within 30 minutes, their online team contacted me via Twitter, and sent a link for me to write what happened. They did an outstanding, and professional job listening to what happened, and took care of the matter. I have been back to Best Buy a few more times since, and it's been perfect since. That was great customer service through a tweet.

6. Creating an online billboard.

A lot of these Deadly Sins revolve around content, and what you post, and the truth is you live and die by content now. The last thing people want to see if your language and posts be just another avenue for advertising. You truly want to be crafting a story through Social Media that works with your marketing plan. Is it time to push Winter goods? Post about the "5 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix." You're not advertising the BOGO deal on Swiss Miss, but creating value and intrigue through some new perspective on how to use the product. Each network/channel you choose to be on in Social Media has it's own set of subtle language variances. ROI means one thing to a business person, and another to a person working in healthcare. Not only do you need to understand your audience, and how they communicate, but also the lay of the land for that part of Social Media. Go native. Be like Kevin Costner is Dances With Wolves, (too old of a reference), or like Sam Worthington in Avatar. You're bringing a new message, but in a way and context that the native people in that corner of the internet understands.

7. Make it all about you.

The internet is about sharing. I hope that this blog will eventually be seen enough were I can ask people to guest blog on it, and get more than just myself talking. The last thing people want to read about and see online is how great you think you are, and how much you love yourself. How often do you meet someone who only talks about themselves? How many people really want to be their friend? Truth is, sharing is caring, and we were right on with that when we were kids. Some things never go out of style, and caring about others is a great start.



I hope you enjoyed this, and if there's anything I missed, or you think shouldn't be here, drop me a note, and let's chat!