social media mistakes Archives

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6 Social Media Engagement Mistakes to Avoid (at All Costs)

March 10, 2014/by Corey Padveen

Make sure you avoid these social media engagement mistakes like the plague!

The (slowly slipping into the category of ‘age old’) expression of “Think before you tweet!” has never been more true than it is today. With billions of people tuning into social platforms and listening to what you have to say, you (and your brand) simply need to be on top of your game when it comes to sharing information and engaging in conversation.

There are some social media engagement mistakes that brands will simply have a next-to-impossible time overcoming. After all, you are only as good as your most recent crisis, and you want to keep those to a minimum. These social media engagement mistakes are a surefire to see you brand come under heavy criticism, particularly if they go viral. And isn’t that always the case with these kinds of situations?

1. Arguing

Do not argue with your customers on social channels. Ever. It doesn’t matter how wrong they may be, and how right you think you are. The second you respond with the maturity of a pubescent high-schooler, you’re brand does not look good.

We all say that social media requires a human touch. But at the end of the day, there are certain human qualities we would like to leave out of our brand. One of those is the argumentative nature of human beings. It may sometimes result that you are better off ignoring a comment (still not a great option) than arguing in the public’s eye. Consumers will side with each other.

2. Automation

Automating certain posts and your content schedule is fine. No one expects the average brand to send out messages all day long, and sometimes the process is made much easier when certain aspects (not all, but a select few) can be automated. The one thing that has no business (and never will have business) being automated is engagement.

The human touch mentioned above is all about that engagement people are looking for with brands. If you plan on automating responses (as is done with email responses) than expect to see your brand laughed out of the socialsphere. It’s happened to bigger brands than you might think.

3. Grammatical Errors

OK, granted, your brand can recover from grammatical missteps. In fact, a lot of people won’t notice them. And, at the end of the day, they happen. But your brand is not supposed to make little mistakes. If you plan on presenting your brand as the best in the business, keep a close eye on syntax. People pay a lot of attention to those kinds of things.

Keep your brand integrity in order and proofread social media engagement posts before they go out. Sometimes a little something might get by you. That is especially true if you post content to multiple channels on a constant basis. Don’t make your brand look bad by engaging with a consumer directly and making a little, avoidable mistake like this.

4. Bulk Responses

If you plan on engaging as a brand, do it as conversations are taking place. Nothing looks worse in a Twitter feed than radio silence followed by dozens of responses, one after another, to messages sent to your brand days, if not weeks before you responded.

If you can’t engage in real time, don’t worry about it. It’s not a practice that every brand is comfortable with, and not one that should be approached without serious consideration of the pros and cons. That said, if engagement is in your bag, make sure you have an appropriate strategy that addresses comments and questions in a timely manner.

5. Automated ‘Thank You for Following’ Messages

This is, for the most part, relegated to Twitter. Have you ever followed a brand only to receive a direct message shortly thereafter thanking you for the follow and directing your to their blog, website or Facebook page? It’s annoying and defeats the purpose of engagement.

As with the automated responses mentioned above, the automated ‘Thank You’ message takes away from the personal touch that social media engagement offers and reflects poorly on your brand. That said, a personalized ‘Thank You’ message is a great way to welcome a new follower.

6. Bad Mouthing Competition

We have seen plenty of great examples of brands – sometimes competitors – coming together on social media for a wonderful experience for fans. But, as with arguing, getting into it with a competitor is a direction that should be avoided at all costs.

You want to showcase your highlights, not another brand’s flaws. Commend your peers on jobs well done and tout your own successes. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all, just, get along?

What other mistakes can you think of that brands should avoid when it comes to social media engagement? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!

3 Fatal Social Media Engagement Mistakes

August 14, 2013/by Corey Padveen

Social media engagement is at the heart of any good program, but a few seemingly harmless mistakes can mean severe repercussions.

Are you taking advantage of the huge benefits that accompany social media engagement? It is supremely important that you are. After all, engaging with your social audience is the key to any good campaign. People are reaching out to you, and want to hear back. But be careful, there are a few mistakes that brands make when it comes to social media engagement, and they could be very costly.

Below are three mistakes that are easy to make but very costly to your brand.

Watch Your Grammar!

If you’ve ever watched your Twitter feed populate, or read through SMS threads among friends, you might come to the conclusion that good spelling and proper grammar are dead. Far from it.

A recent study by Disruptive Communications found that – get ready – 42.5% of customers felt that poor spelling and grammar on social media would damage their perception of a brand. This issue was, quite surprisingly, the most damaging to a brand’s image, with content being all about sales coming in second with only 24.9% of consumers finding it the most damaging to a brand’s image.

Grammar and spelling are still very important, particularly when you are trying to portray a professional image and convince potential customers to choose your brand when conducting business. Pay attention to those commas, and make sure you have the appropriate spelling of there/they’re/their, because your audience certainly is.

Sometimes You Have to Let It Go

Arguing is never fun. Arguing on social media is never smart. So why would you do something that is sure to be a no-fun-no-smarts activity?

It is more likely than not that at some point there will be a past, present or future customer that takes issue with your brand on social media. What is the best course of action? Well, whatever you choose to do, don’t blow it up – that’s very bad for business.

You would be better off acknowledging a complaint and rectifying an issue – even if you feel as though you are in the right – than getting into a public argument with a customer. Imagine how that would be perceived by other customers. Would you do business with a company that appears to have a ‘customer is always wrong’ mentality? Probably not.

Address issues in a professional manner and cater to your clients’ needs. Taking the conversation offline might be the best move in cases like these. But, while you might love your brand, don’t shoot yourself in the foot by berating the people that make it possible for your brand to exist.

Respect Your Social Activity and Audience

Sure, social media is a little more lax and informal than conventional marketing or communications channels. The idea of incorporating social into your business is to create a personality for your brand with which users can engage. But it is important to remember that while social media may seem a little less formal, it is still a serious part of your business, and should be treated as such.

You might create your social channels and hit the ground running. But a lot of brands tend to neglect their social networks after a while, and that means neglecting customers. People are talking to you on social media and leaving them without a response, feeling alone and unimportant can be harmful to your brand’s image online.

Treat your social customers like you would any other – they are really no different.

Keep these three mistakes in mind and you will find success on social media much easier to achieve.

What other social media engagement mistakes can you think of? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!