Social media is personal, but too many people (and companies) are treating it as an impersonal advertising platform.
There are people on the receiving end of your posts. People who want
to connect and engage. It’s called social media for a reason.
1. Don’t connect Twitter to Facebook. Two different social media
platforms, two different languages. Your Facebook Timeline looks
ridiculous with a one-sided conversation and all those @ and # signs.
Just stop it. Check out Hootsuite instead, and choose which posts go
where.
2. Don’t send an automated DM to new followers on Twitter. It’s
impersonal and makes you look like a spambot. You do realize that I’m
aware every single one of your followers is receiving the exact same
message, right?
3. If I don’t know you, please don’t send me a personal message on
Facebook, asking me to LIKE your fan page. Seriously, I’m not a fan.
4. Stop sending event messages through Facebook to your entire
community. If we haven’t had any previous interaction or engagement, how
do you know I’m even a prospect – or interested for that matter. If you
and your event are in Des Moines, why would I attend when I live in Los
Angeles? Do your homework, otherwise, you’re just a spammer (see #2).
5. Don’t drink and tweet. That’s right, don’t tweet anything that you
wouldn’t want your mother or your ex-boyfriend to see. Tweets are
archived in the Library of Congress, so once you hit Enter, it’s out
there forever.
6. Don’t be a narcissist. Seriously, enough about you already. Stop
broadcasting your products and services and start listening to what
others are saying and engage. Just because it’s virtual, doesn’t mean it
isn’t a real conversation with a real human being on the other end.
7. Don’t tweet the same thing over and over again. One particularly
guilty coach I know, has tweeted the exact same thing at least 20 times
in the last month alone. You might think it makes your marketing a
little easier, but really, you’re b-o-r-i-n-g us.
8. If you don’t have the bandwidth to manage multiple social
platforms, then don’t. Better to be present and engaging on fewer
platforms, then absent from or overly automated on too many. You are
judged by the frequency with which you update your accounts and
contribute to conversations where you can provide value. If the light
isn’t on, people will forget you.
9. Don’t be all business all the time. First, you’re boring us (see
#7), and second, the only way we’ll really connect with you is if you
show us your personality and heart. Share your interests and passions so
we can find common ground.
10. Don’t be overly negative. The social space in general is
extremely positive, with collaboration, conversation and helpfulness
being the order of the day. No one likes complainers and whiners. And
don’t forget #5: any vitriol you happen to spew will be out in the ether
forever, for all to see. Even your mother-in-law.