Social media faux pas are a dime a dozen. Why? Most people are still learning how social media works. I don’t mean how to post a status update or a tweet, I mean understanding the concept of
content, conversation and consistency. More than ever, social media is a vehicle for customer service. Want to be a social media star? Check out this list of 10 social media faux pas to avoid:
- Auto direct messages – Twitter allows users to send an automatic message to all new followers. Here’s why that tactic sucks: The sender almost always asks the follower to take some type of action that benefits the messenger. Nice way to start a relationship. If you really want someone’s attention, send him or her a personal note.
- Synching all accounts – Different networks equal different contexts. When you post a Facebook status update directly to twitter, most if the time it’s going to be over 140 characters and so your message gets cut off. You also miss out on hashtags and tagging other users. Plus, it’s easy to spot and just makes your brand look cheesy and out of touch.
- Incorrect grammar – If I had a dollar for every time someone wrote “sneak peek” as “sneak peak,” I’d be vacationing in the Caribbean instead of writing this article. Mistakes happen. Reread before posting and brush up on basic grammar. I keep a reference book close by at all times just in case I need a reminder.
- Friend requests by unknown people – This is particularly true on LinkedIn. Identify yourself and your reasoning to connect with a personal message. However, if it sounds like a sales pitch, I’m not buying it. You’re getting deleted or marked as spam.
- Incorrectly using hashtags – Hashtags don’t work on Facebook or LinkedIn. I’ve seen them used more across all networks as they have become popular, but they only serve a function on a couple of sites. Hashtags are used in searches and are known to show up in trending topics. They function on both Google+ and Twitter.
- Posting before “thinking” – Consider how you word things. When you post in a hurry or carelessly, the wording may inadvertently have a completely different meaning. Also, as we recently learned, research trending topics before posting. The tragic Aurora theater shooting quickly turned into a PR nightmare for one company. The company saw #Aurora was a trending topic and immediately posted on how it was because of their fashion line. Had they taken the time to search why the topic was trending, they wouldn’t be in such a mess.
- Clicking on or sharing spam links – Beware of clicking on or sharing spam links. You can hover over the link to view the source. If you’re still not sure, use a URL expander service like http://wheredoesthislinkgo.com/.
- Ignoring comments – Do you enjoy talking to a wall? My guess is probably not, unless of course you enjoy talking to yourself. I can guarantee your fans and followers don’t like feeling that way. Even a small acknowledgment is worthwhile. Certainly don’t ignore or worse delete negative comments. Address the comment and turn it into a positive customer service experience.
- Stale accounts – Simply saying you have a Facebook account means nothing if you’re not actively using it. Not posting on your accounts, incomplete profiles, and not updating your profile aesthetics to match a new layout, are great ways to look like you either don’t know what you’re doing or you simply don’t care enough about your business and customers to keep it up.
- Talking at people and not with them – Think about what grabs your attention on social networks and then think about what keep it there. Posting about a new product or company news every day gets old. Mix it up. Get creative. See what information your fans are most receptive to. What’s in it for them? If you can get them to engage with your brand, well then my friends, you’re on the right track.
