How Not To Use Social Media

When it comes to social media, it’s not really about the tools; it’s how you use them. We have talked a little bit about how to use social media to your benefit, but now I think it is time to start discussing the things your business should NOT be doing on social media.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Social Media

1. Envy:

Just because you brand a Facebook page, Twitter account, or blog does not mean that you are using social media. Don’t make the mistake thinking “if you build it they will come” and avoid making the even bigger mistake of envying those who have a ton of followers. Envying (and often resenting) the success of others isn’t going to grow your following, and will likely turn people away from your brand. If you come across someone that is successful, why not learn from them? See what they are doing that is making them so popular and learn a thing or two so that you can quickly build your own following as well.

2. Gluttony:

As anyone who has been keeping up with us knows, it’s about quality rather than quantity. If you find that you are tweeting 20, 30 or 40 times/day, take a step back and rethink your strategy. Some businesses might have that much to say, but it is very unlikely. This also applies to responding to your followers, and retweeting. If you think you are guilty of this sin, next time you want to post, write your tweet/facebook post, then don’t send it. If after ten minutes you still think it is something worth sharing, go ahead and post it.

3. Lust:

Back in 2006, a business would sign up on MySpace and then start “friending” everyone with a pulse. These days, lusting after fans like that will get you labeled as desperate — or worse as a spammer. We all lust after social media successes and recognition and exposure, but getting too caught up in the pleasure of what those status symbols bring us often causes us to lose focus. If lust is the sin you are guilty of, try get to know some of your followers on a personal level, and they just might become lifelong fans.

4. Wrath:

While a good rant that is aimed at a social injustice or a company that deserves to be outted for a flaw is within the range of acceptable, as a business this is something you need to be very careful with when your trying to promote your business through social media. As in life, use anger sparingly, and not as the hook some people seem to think it is to create controversy. Although many of your fans might agree with you when you are upset, committing this sin will turn everyone else away, sometimes for good.

5. Greed:

When you first start out, goals are great, but a benchmark goal can also be a slippery slope. You think when you finally get to 2000 Twitter followers you’ll be happy, but trust me when you get to 2000 you are just going to want 5000. It’s not about feeling good from reaching that number you were after, it’s really about how many people you can actually connect with to see what opportunities open up for you.

6. Sloth:

Sloth is about wanting it all but being too lazy to do what it takes. Doing well at social media means working at it every day. One mistake many businesses make is going crazy for a couple weeks, and then disappearing. When you are guilty of this, your audience doesn’t know if you are coming or going, and they’ll eventually stop tuning in.

7. Pride:

Vanity posts are usually the quickest way to get people to ignore you online, particularly on Twitter. As a business your goal should be to spread knowledge, provide insight, ans occasionally tell your audience about whats new at your company. While for an individual these posts tend to revolve around daily habits or useless information a business that tirelessly promotes themselves without actually engaging their followers is equally guilty of this sin. Here are some examples, learn from their mistakes.