7 major social media mistakes are being made everyday by entrepreneurs and corporate giants alike. Whether the mistakes are made on blogs or any of the social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin they are reflective of the misinformed masses attempting to quickly adopt and launch. The following is a list of mistakes that can and should be avoided at all costs:
1. No Plan: launching a social media presence, profile, page, or blog without performing due diligence on the necessary steps in order to be successful
2. Lack of Due Diligence: failing to test each social network, prior to launching a presence, or blogging in order to determine which social network(s) are a fit for the organization
3. Placeholder: launching a presence that is merely a placeholder comprised of the bare bones minimum requirements to launch. Nothing says unprepared quite like the following example which also includes another of the mistakes to be avoided at all costs: the stock avatar.
4. Stock Avatar: a stock avatar is an immediate flag that the person or company has not taken the time to learn the dashboard or functionality of the social network. It also is a signal of their lack of experience and social media knowledge
5. Collecting Numbers: all of the major social networks have a numbers component. Whether it is fans, followers, connections or something else the point is NOT to collect numbers for the sake of collecting numbers. Your level of expertise is NOT derived from the number of followers you have on Twitter. Although the perception that large numbers of followers or fans equals expert knowledge, as of this writing you can buy 4,000 followers for $12.95.
6. Failure to Engage: almost every comment a blogger receives should be recognized with a return comment. To ignore the opportunity to engage and interact is the worst mistake a blogger, with aspirations of building an audience, can make in their social media efforts
7. Hard Sell Messaging: the old “always be closing” hard sell is dead and it is not a part of social media. The tone in social media is transparent, shared communication. Give first before asking for something in return is the #1 golden rule
For more information on the strategies to fix these mistakes contact Marin County social media consultants InnerArchitect.com Susan Hanshaw and Dean Guadagni.
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Hello from Marin Professionals. We are here demonstrating blogs with your wonderful blog.
Hello Dianne and our friends at Marin Professionals! Thanks for visiting our blog. We look forward to our next presentation to the group on August 3rd!
Great checklist for the fundamentals for social media engagement! Too many businesses are going to market without a solid plan . And just as you say “Always Be Closing” sales is a thing of the past, many are having an equally difficult time embracing the future . Testing channels, markets, etc. is a low-cost, rapid turnaround way to raise your odds of success. Needs to become a best practice in business – IMHO. Thanks for the helpful post!
Skip,
Thank you for your kind words and feedback. We see the unplanned social media “efforts” by entrepreneurs and companies everyday–and cringe.
The future is now as Web 2.0′s inevitable game changing platform aka “architecture of participation” (Tim O’Reilly’s creation) provides everyone the opportunity to leverage their experience and expertise. With the advent of blogging, social networks, and technology evolution comes this change.
Please let us know how we can support you in your quest to take advantage of this revolution and evolution. Thanks!
dean and susan
Great points – I totally agree. And you are right, the # 1 rule is to have a plan – too many people are just looking at the shiny object, or worse, dismissing the whole thing because they don’t see the value. Its about doing your homework and figuring out how to make it work for you. Thanks for sharing!
Cynthia,
We appreciate your feedback and kind comment. Having a plan, one that is done with some research, is truly the missing “link” for so many entrepreneurs and companies. Like you said it really is “about doing your homework and figuring out how to make it work for you.” Well said!
dean and susan