Socially Awkward: How to Keep Your Social Media Campaign from Turning on You

Social Media Monsters

By now you probably know that social media can be a highly effective marketing tool when used correctly. Unfortunately, it can also be a great way to alienate customers or make yourself look downright silly. There are lots of things you should avoid doing in social media, and marketing in general for that matter. But, there are some things that move ahead of the pack when it comes to avoiding social media marketing faux pas.

Here’s a list of things to avoid:

Avoid offending your target market

When an up and coming bottle maker tweeted that new dads could “reclaim” their wives by using their innovative product, breastfeeding mothers were not happy. Not only did they believe the tweet misrepresent the amount of time women spend nursing their babies, but they found the term “reclaim” offensive. Had the company done a little research in their key demographic (nursing mothers) they would have known better than to make such a remark, and they could have avoided a whole lot of bad press. The lesson? Know your audience, above all else.

Avoid disappearing from the scene

There are oodles of businesses that started social media campaigns only to abandon their profiles soon after. Have you been MIA when it comes to your social pages? If so, you may be annoying your customers. Once you have all those “likes” and “friends” you so desperately aimed to acquire, you can’t just jump ship. Remember, each click of the “like” button represents a real person who wants to interact with you. When a customer attempts to speak with you using one of your social media outlets, respond. Otherwise, you may leave users feeling abandoned by not only you, but your business as well.

Avoid mixing business with pleasure

Yes, Facebook and Twitter are a great place to connect with old high school friends and your uncle Rob from Minnesota. Yes, you should try to connect with customers on a more personal level using these sites. With that said however, you should not combine your personal and business pages together. Your customers might want to know your opinion on things, but there is a line you just don’t cross. Revealing that you once had a Cocker Spaniel who had fleas in a way that ties in with your super awesome organic flea killer spray is a good idea. It adds validity and personalization to your products and your business. However, revealing that you let your Cocker Spaniel share your ice cream cone will just creep everyone out.

How successful are your social media marketing campaigns?