5 Social Media Fatal Errors

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February 24, 2009 | BY Mike Rynchek
  

Mike Rynchek
Mike Rynchek
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

While speaking at the Minnesota Marketplace for Entrepreneurs yesterday I discussed some Social Media best practices. I thought it might be helpful for me to post that slide with analogies on our Minneapolis Online Marketing blog.

  1. Too self promoting – If people wanted to keep getting hit with non stop advertisements they would just drive around all day looking at billboards or TiVo just the commercials then watch them later.

  2. Poor content – Similar to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) content is king. The more entertaining, controversial or informative you can be the more “viral” your content is likely to be.

  3. Frequency – That person talks so much! Monitor the volume of content you are pushing out to people. Message fatigue is live and well in social media. Traditional media allows some forgiveness. In the Social Media world you really don’t have a second chance to reach people. Once they stop engaging you they are likely gone forever.

  4. Non responsive – People generally don’t join social networks to just listen. Social Media is a great TWO WAY medium and people are looking to engage with you or your brand.

  5. Budget your time – Continuously Social Media time management is a major concern and the answer to social time management is not always clear. With all the Social Media sites out there make sure to budget your time where you will get the biggest bang for your buck. If you don’t know which areas to focus on try one of two things. Consult with a Social Media marketer (Try connecting with one via Twitter.) or try a few at a time and see which one you get the most traction with. A few easy places to start.

  • Twitter – Create an account and try connect with friends, coworkers etc.

  • Blog – Start a WordPress blog about a subject you are passionate about or comment on other people’s blogs.

  • Flickr – Post some pictures of a trip or the family dog and forward them to your friends and family.

    • I hope this helps you to avoid some common fatal Social Media errors. Best of luck!

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    • http://twitter.com/sjhalestorm Scott Hale

      This is a great concise answer for questions pertaining to online persona as a business or individual. The number one issue in my eyes is lack of responsiveness. When an individual or business does not respond they give off the impression that they feel above the rest of the world. A major draw of a site like Twitter is that I (a college student) have access to CEOs, Presidents, VPs…etc. and answering directed questions creates a very down-to-earth rapport with the online community. That being said, I gain a great deal from listening and appreciate that, in general, people are so transparent on Twitter and in Blogs.

    • http://localmn.wordpress.com paul jahn

      Good tips. Somewhere out there, someone is probably committing all five fails right now. Nice road sign BTW! :)

    • http://www.twitter.com/mikerynchek Mike Rynchek

      Hey thanks Paul! Working with Spyder Trap clients we see it almost daily and with a little help/advice some the mistakes can be easily avoided. I thought that sign was great as well! Big shout out to Brad Wellman of Spyder Trap Online Marketing for the great graphic choice.

    • http://www.twitter.com/mikerynchek Mike Rynchek

      Hey Scott,

      Thanks for the great comment. I could not agree more that not responding is truly a major downfall in most social media plans. Whether constrained by legal departments or short on staff it is crucial for firms to prioritize and focus on areas that will display the greatest results. When out speaking I always try to stress how Twitter is such a great Social Media/online marketing tool that allows you to do so many things such as connect with people you would otherwise never meet. Its incredible how much you can learn whether an individual or a fortune 500 company when you simply sit back and listen to what people are saying about your brand/product/industry/competition etc. Very cool!

      Thanks again for the post.

      Mike

    • Meghan

      That is a great 101 on Social Media on how to make it work effectively.

      How would you sell social media to corporations that typically do not use it because it’s not considered an accepted practice and there are too many legal ramifications?

    • http://www.twitter.com/mikerynchek Mike Rynchek

      Hey Meghan,

      I’m glad you found the post useful and great question.

      To be honest, most big corporations understand the high level uses of Social Media. They understand that a conversation is taking place out there and there is a major untapped opportunity for them to help group their brand through Social Media channels. The problem is they really don’t understand where to begin or where their company fits into the Social Media world. This is where my group comes in on a mission to inform and educate. Our goal is to first understand the business and what they would like to achieve through Social Media (ex. increase brand awareness, drive sales etc.). Then it is vital for us to understand other marketing activities that can be leverage to support our online/social media initiatives. After the data gathering/discovery process is complete it is my teams job to prepare a well mapped out Social Media plan that is complete with objectives, tactics and reporting. Once we present this to the client, it quickly becomes very clear how Social Media can impact their business objectives. If not, it is our job to continue the education process. In my mind we educate about Social Media rather than selling Social Media.

      Regarding the legal issue and how big firms with strict regulations can get started in Social Media. (PS – I get this question ever time I speak on Social Media.) This is a very common issue especially in certain industries that have very diligent legal process. If this is truly the case then I strongly recommend that marketing managers start with simply using Social Media as a source of Online Public Relations or brand monitoring. Most firms do not have strict regulations regarding these two disciplines, thus providing marketing managers valuable insight about their brand, product etc. Online PR is also a great brand building tool and search engine optimization (SEO) tool that I strongly feel is underutilized by most firms. Once managers understand how valuable Social Media can be to their marketing efforts, they generally request additional services thus creating an organic internal culture shift.

      If questions regarding specific tactics arise, you can always contact a firm such as Spyder Trap Online Marketing to help identify how you and your firm can get started in Social Media.

      I hope this helps. Thanks again for the comment.

      Mike