Seven Social Media Strategies That Will Sink Your Ship

Last week we discussed some of the things you're doing wrong with your business' social media. From failing to respond to difficult messages, to failing to post regular content, social media can be a tricky game and while many people make mistakes every day, there are certain arenas you're better off avoiding altogether. Here's seven of them. Feeling lucky? You won't be if you're caught on this list.

We mentioned this last time, but it bears repeating as this may be the biggest problem businesses struggle with while using their social media platforms. No one likes the salesman, unless you want what he has to sell. The problem is, we rarely do—at least at that time or place. 

It's paramount that you learn to engage your followers in a social sense, instead of pushing out content that looks like it's been copied and pasted hundreds of times. Spoiler Alert: It probably has. But don't take our word for it. Continue to tell everyone how awesome you are, and keep throwing promotions in your follower's face. No worries if you start losing them though, there are plenty of tumbleweeds to fill in the gaps of your soon-to-be ghost town.

Poor grammar is acceptable on your phone…we'll even let Twitter slide due to it's 140 character count. It's meant for quick news alerts and small messages. So, if u r gona post sum thin like dis, dats ok. But if you're not on Twitter, or communicating with a relative that just learned how to "text",

there's no excuse for poor grammar, especially if it's public.

Think of it like this: If you're posting on your company page, and you miss something obvious, understand that the grammar police have been alerted and will soon arrive at the scene. There's nothing internet folk love more than correcting others' grammar, and let us assure you, they'll find you. So hide yo kids, hide yo wife, and hide yo spelling mistakes, because you'll never come out on top. 

Just ask Brittany.

What's the difference between a Tweet and a Direct Message? About 100,000 eyes bearing down on you.  Something many new-to-the-scene social media adopters struggle with is how to operate within their social network. Although seemingly innocent, these mistakes can be extremely costly. Take the marketing agent working for Chrysler who accidentally posted a personal tweet to Chrysler's Twitter feed: 

He and his entire marketing company were let go by Chrysler, who, per company spokesman Ed Garsten, stated: "The company has invested greatly, not only financially, but philosophically ... in supporting Detroit and the U.S. auto industry, and we simply couldn't tolerate any messaging—whether or not there was an obscenity—that was denigrating to Detroit."  So yeah, if your job's at risk, maybe it's worth double-checking basic best practices first. Or just steer clear from obscenity fueled messages, altogether. There's always that option.

We'd all be better off following Bar Rules for conversation when communicating with followers or fans via your social media channels. This means, it's best to avoid any conversation that will upset your followers. The cardinal rule? No Politics. No religion. Why's that? The problem is, everyone will always have their own opinion, and they aren't looking at you to change that for them. So why go out of your way to make them uncomfortable?

It's one of the quickest ways to alienate someone from your page or Twitter feed. The point, again, of social media is to connect people, not scare them away due to something as silly as your personal beliefs. Look no farther than this year's top social media meltdown, courtesy of Amy's Baking Company. In fact, go check out the messages they've been posting the last couple of months, and do the EXACT opposite. After all, it'd be obvious to say "Don't Insult Your Followers or Fans," but again, some people need to be reminded of this every once in a while:

That'll do Amy, that'll do.

Don't Do It: Pass Around Your Login Information

While we're on the topic of social media meltdowns, now's the perfect time to remind you to keep your login information securely protected. Only the people who need immediate access should have this information on hand and your password should be reset every so often to make sure there are no loose ends. 

Eventually, you'll have to switch who's in charge of your social media—just make sure you change your passwords as well, so you don't wind up with any nay-saying towards your company while an employee's on their way out the door. Is a disgruntled ex employee using your Twitter account to voice their malcontent? Or even worse, hijacking your account and threatening to hold your followers for ransom? Yeah, let's nip that in the bud. After all, people don't forget, and a deleted tweet can live on forever as a screenshot. Remember that.

If there's about to be a critical moment that you know may be re-shared, or saved for later use…wait on it. We've all been there. Someone posts something that infuriates or insults you…fodder for a memorable internet argument. I'm not saying ignore the post, and I KNOW you aren't thinking about deleting it… but it may be best to let it sit so you can come back to it after you've calmed down.

Maybe make a snack, take a walk for some fresh air, catch up on the latest episode of Dexter (to satisfy your bloodlust, of course). The point being: it's foolish to post something while you're heated because I promise you'll regret it later, if not make the situation worse. Another best practice is to ask a friend or colleague for help, as they aren't as emotionally attached and may have a better response than the "homerun" you think you're planning in your head. What you say will be visible to everyone. Do you want to be remembered for barking back insults due to an angry impulse, or for calmly handling the situation in a respectable matter? First impressions matter.

My all time favorite? Telling your followers you were "hacked" after an embarrassing post leaks from your Facebook or Twitter account. So let's set the record straight before you even start thinking that's a good idea. It isn't. People aren't dumb. They know there isn't a hacking fairy going around writing mistaken tweets about drinking, partying, or hating your boss. You know what's worse than posting these mistakes in the first place? Trying to blame imaginary bad guys. Let's take a step back to Amy's Baking Company. After their rant in which they burned every bridge they've ever crossed, they issued an apology stating that their account was hacked and THEY'RE HAVING THE FBI INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. The FBI?? Don't they have better things to do, in the entirety of our country, than to look for the culprit who "stole" your Facebook password (meowmeow1234)? Being candid about your faux pas is your best chance at winning back anyone who you may have scared away in the first place. People make mistakes. And people understand that people make mistakes. 

We understand that posting through social media can cause problems, but as long as you're careful and doublecheck what's coming from your brand's mouth, you'll have no problem navigating the waters of Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and beyond.