Last week we delivered two webinars to my email database about the 6 biggest mistakes companies make using social media and why consumers unfollow brands.
We talk a lot, and quite rightly, about how social media can be used to enhance customer relationships and build rapport with your target market. The right content can truly work wonders – but the wrong content? That’s a different story.
It can be disturbingly easy to accidentally find yourself labelled a spammer. You think you’re posting something interesting and relevant – the recipient doesn’t. You forward a link in good faith – it’s not at all what it should be. But if you’re not sure what’s spam or not, read on and we’ll tell you. If you know them, you can avoid them!
- Profiles. Are you adding lots of social media profiles that only offer links to your site, and little other relevant content? Then you’re spamming. Without active engagement, your visitors will feel like they’ve been had.
- Comments. Are you joining discussions just to link your page, or posting lots of content with only a tenuous link to the actual topic? Are you littering any and every comment-enable social site possible with the same info? Then you’re spamming! If you have to comment, keep it relevant.
- Follows. Contrary to some misguided beliefs, following every Twitter account you can get your hands on will not mean that they will in turn follow you. It’s a transparent attempt to create popularity artificially, and you’ll be spotted immediately. Resist! If some gullible people follow you back, then hitting then with endless links to your business will cut short that relationship pretty quickly.
- Geolocation. As a relatively new phenomenon, you might not be annoying everyone with your hourly updates yet, but believe me you soon will. ‘X is at the corner shop. X is leaving the corner shop. X is heading to the King’s Arms. X is at the King’s Arms.’ Annoyed yet? Yup. So don’t do it. Or at the very least, keep it to a personal social media account.
- Splogs. Does your blog have little or no original content? Do you recommend trends simply by following what the real leaders are saying? Do you pack your blog with ads to fill space? Then sadly you have a splog, and you’re spamming. It’s not ethical, and if you’ve just nicked the content, it might not even be legal!
There you have it. Follow my other blogs to know how to use social media without spamming, and watch your business grow. Good luck!