While it's natural to learn from our own errors, there are some mistakes you should avoid at all costs in your social media endeavors. These mistakes can ultimately harm your business and lose you valuable customers. If you're unsure of what to do in a situation, don't do it.
Here are a few specific social media no-nos to avoid:
1. Don’t lash out: Sometimes dealing with constructive criticism or blatantly harsh words can be difficult. Especially on social media platforms like Facebook or other channels. Instead of lashing out, handle the customer complaint professionally, in a prompt, courteous manner. The last thing you want to do is fight back, which looks tacky and unprofessional.
2. Don’t buy followers or fans: While it may seem like buying fans or followers can make your business look trustworthy or even desirable, this isn't the way to go. Social media is about cultivating meaningful relationships with customers and potential customers, so fake fans won't help your cause. Instead of focusing on quantity, focus on quality and create a strategy to build a strong fan base.
3. Don’t post fake comments: We know it's tempting to want to create engagement, but fake comments are easy to see through and your audience won't appreciate it. Instead of creating feigned engagement, spice up your posts with strong calls to action. For example: "Like our post if you agree." If you want to increase your reviews on Yelp or other sites, encourage your customers by offering rewards or discounts for posting an honest review.
4. Don’t “Spam Comment”: Commenting simply for the purpose to get more brand exposure is not a good practice and makes you look like a spammer. If you're going to comment on other blogs or social media platforms, make sure what you're offering is relevant, quality information.
5. Don’t copycat: Plagiarizing someone else's content is not cool. Creating your own unique content is of the highest importance, and ultimately what will make your website rise in the search engines. While it's ok to use other people's posts and link to articles, you need to make sure you always give credit to the original poster by referencing and citing them.
6. Don’t exaggerate: Honesty is always the best policy and if you're not honest with your audience, it will be obvious. Whether you're running a contest, promotion, or other offer, exaggerating or embellishing will not score you any points and your customers will be able to tell.
Source: Vertical Response
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