When Social Media Turns Into A Nightmare

Social media is changing the way we do business. With just one bad review posted on your Facebook wall, you can lose valued patrons or followers. Social media has made it easier for businesses to expand their market—reaching otherwise unreachable areas—without massive marketing costs. It has also armed people with the power to lash out at companies and brands whenever they want. These scenarios are major reasons why more businesses choose to partner with a social media management agency.

Why do your business social media accounts matter?

Recent data shows that there are about 2.307 billion active social media users in the world or a penetration rate of 31%. There had been a 10% increase in the number active users in January 2016 from a year ago. The reach of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms is so far-reaching, so important to ignore. Even your neighborhood lemonade stand has its own Facebook page.

One essential thing you should remember is that engaging in social media is a double-edged sword. A witty hashtag can gain you instant followers who are potential customers while an offensive post can do just the opposite.

Here are common mistakes on social media you should be aware of.

Excluding yourself

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Among all social media mistakes you can commit is not being part of social media. Dr. Ram Bezawada, associate professor of marketing at the University of Buffalo in New York, said that social media activities boost the customer-business relationship, which in turn boost financial performance. “Our results show that when customers engage with a business through social media, they contribute about 5.6 percent more to the firm’s bottom line than customers who do not,” he remarked.

There are companies that have had social media presence but subsequently decided to “go dark” because of a gaffe or they failed to see the value in joining the bandwagon. Regularly posting status updates or uploading photos is not the end of your game. Social media management is a whole myriad of strategizing, analyzing big data, content marketing, etc. If the technical aspects overwhelm you, feel free to call the experts. Don’t give up social media just because you don’t understand how to maximize it.

Asking for favors but offers nothing

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Don’t you just abhor it when someone asks favors every single time he gets the chance but gives back nothing in return?

In the New York Times bestselling book, “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How To Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World,” Gary Vaynerchuk advises companies to patiently engage with customers instead of bombarding them with requests to make a purchase. Give, give, give, then ask! Post an interesting article or share an entertaining video clip. Acclaimed author Paulo Coelho has 11 million Twitter followers and remains one of the world’s bestselling writers. Instead of asking people to buy his books, he posts random things such as greetings, interesting photos and quotes from his well-loved works.

Asking people to visit your shop will not seem imposing if you’ve offered something first.

Posting poor content

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What to avoid on social media?  Error-ridden and boring content. “Content” includes status updates, tweets, photos, videos and links. Posting poor content is worse than not posting at all. A boring content wastes digital space and can lead to equally bored followers. An article, or a even a funny meme, with incorrect grammar and spelling will seriously affect your credibility.

When you’re starting with your social media accounts, it’s understandable to share the task of managing them with the rest of the team. However, once interactions pick up, you should consider assigning someone dedicated to the job. Better yet, consider outsourcing the task to a digital marketing company that knows how to naviate  social media.

Have you ever wondered why your social media presence doesn’t translate to revenues despite your diligent efforts? It must be your content. Content marketing is the strategic creation and distribution of materials that drive profitability. It’s a combination of understanding your target audience and delivering what will excite them towards your brand.

Uploading offensive content

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IHOP’s “flat but has a GREAT personality” tweet topped the list of misfires in 2015. Cortney Hickey, a social media account executive in The Buzz Agency, said that people found the IHOP content offensive “because of gender discrimination in the workplace and body image issues.”

An unintentional faux pas can make you an instant global brand for the wrong reasons. Before posting ANYTHING, seek other people’s opinions whether it’s offensive or is susceptible of being taken out of context.

Neglecting feedback and comments

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Do you know that before people go to a restaurant or buy merchandise, they first go online and check out information? You, as a customer, do this yourself. We don’t want to talk to sales persons who have nothing but good words for a product. We want honesty, or at least something akin to the truth.

Maintaining a social media account requires the patience of going over every comment or feedback posted by followers and haters alike. You need to detect flames before they turn into wildfires. If a customer vents out his frustrations for a poor service he received, be quick to apologize and offer solutions. Customers need to be assured that they matter, and taking their feedback seriously is a must.

Social media is a powerful tool. It can make or break a brand. It has turned ordinary people into celebrities and numerous celebrities into a laughing stock. Businesses must understand how social media truly works, including its benefits and risks. It’s a weapon not everyone can wield successfully. However, one need not be a genius to maximize social media. Know your target market, understand your market (what do they want? What don’t they want?), have a grasp of trends and avoid social networking no-no’s.

“When building communities, businesses should craft personalized messages, encourage member contribution, integrate knowledge about customers from both online and offline interactions, and create specialized sub-communities for customers looking for premium and unique products,” said University of Buffalo’s Dr. Bezawada.