Friday 17 May 2013

How to Lose Friends & Alienate Clients: 7 Deadly Social Media Sins


The very purpose of using social media for business is to garner Friends & connections, to communicate and to network.  Social media have become an immeasurable tool for facilitating client relationship management as well as for your marketing initiatives.  But if you’re committing any of the following 7 deadly social media sins, your efforts might just be counter-productive.    

Deadly Sin #1:  Promoting Yourself / Your Business Relentlessly
I’ve blogged about this before.  One of the most appealing characteristics of social media is that they displace the traditional advertising/promotion model of in-your-face, unsolicited interruption.  As the name predicates, they’re social – a means of connecting with people on a human, personal level.  There’s no room for blatant self-promotion within the realm of the social.  Unparalleled customer service is more like it. The idea is to connect and engage with clients/prospective clients so that they become interested in using your products and services. It’s inbound marketing. People are engaging with you because they want to be engaging with you.  It’s interactive, two-way communication. So,:

Deadly Sin #2:  Getting Into It (And Not in a Good Way)
Because social media is about two-way communication, it’s inevitable that people are going to butt heads and encounter differences of opinion, just as we would in every-day, face-to-face interaction. The worst thing you can do, however, is to engage in a knock-down, drag-out with someone over a social media platform for all to see. And you do see it all the time, especially in comments sections.  But as a business professional, if this is the way you conduct yourself, your clients are going to take one look at your social media interactions and run the other way – fast!  Which leads me to:

Deadly Sin #3:  Not Minding Your Manners                                              
It’s a no-brainer, but you’d be astounded at the number of people who don’t pay any attention to manners and etiquette while using social media.  Just remember to use basic politeness when engaging.  Would you be boorish in a face-to-face meeting with someone?  Likely not.  So just because you’re sitting behind your computer monitor and no one can see you, doesn’t mean that you can forget about social graces.  Pleases and thank yous go a long way. If someone pays you a compliment, acknowledge it. If a less than satisfied client comments negatively, acknowledge that, too – politely.  Now, off to:

Deadly Sin #4:  Not Responding to Comments, Complaints and/or Criticism
By not responding to your clients’ comments, you’re essentially saying, “I don’t care!”  If a comment is positive and complimentary, a great, big “thank you” is in order, along with a little response about why you’re so pleased that he’s pleased and about how much you value him as a client.  If a comment is negative – in the form of a complaint or criticism – a full response is warranted just the same. Again, it’s crucial that you make the client feel important and relevant by addressing the criticism and doing whatever is in your power to rectify the situation.  I recently posted an extensive blog on how to respond to criticism: http://escomputers.blogspot.ca/2013/04/your-customers-comments-on-social-media.html  Damage control is critical. And remember, others will be able to see how you respond, so do it eloquently and with finesse. Snark is never a good idea!

Deadly Sin #5:  Spam, Spam & More Spam
Everyone hates to be spammed.  Don’t spam people!  Enough said.

Deadly Sin #6:  Not Steering Clear of Religion & Politics
Oh, this is a slippery slope, my friends.  The basic rule to bear in mind is that your religious and political views have no place within your business networking.  Remember, wars are fought over religion and politics. Everyone’s view is different and you will in no way be able to avoid ruffling a few feathers if you pontificate with respect to your views or if you comment on another’s.  Just stay clear!

Deadly Sin #7:  Not Fostering Your Relationships
It’s all well and good to garner plenty of connections through your social media endeavors, but what good are those connections if you do nothing to cultivate meaningful relationships with them? The beauty of social media is that they allow you a relatively intimate glimpse into the lives of the people in your network. They can provide you with invaluable information about people. Using this information to help you provide better service to your clients is what it’s all about. Take advantage of that – get to know people and let them get to know you. That’s how trust is built and maintained.  If your clients don’t trust you, what’s the point?

Thursday 9 May 2013

In Honor of Mother’s Day: Social Moms


This Sunday marks one of the most important days of the year – a day to honor moms everywhere – Happy Mother’s Day!

Social media might be something that moms used to watch their kids use, but it’s incredible how, over the years, mothers have become so adept themselves at using social media to communicate, shop and do business.  It’s also incredible how many social media campaigns are geared toward mothers and their needs & desires.  Let’s face it – Mom is by and large the person in the family who does most of the grocery shopping, home décor buying and kid-related shopping.  Social media have become a blessing insofar as they simplify the process of comparison shopping, of finding great deals and of learning more about specific brands.         


But over and above the usefulness of social media for shopping and keeping up with brands and trends, moms use them as a primary means of communication and networking.   Moms are connected on social media today more than ever before.
Here are some enlightening 2013 ‘Moms on Social Media’ statistics courtesy of Ali Salman, co-founder of Rapid Boost Marketing:

·         9% Study weblogs everyday. An extra 15% read weblogs every week, and 16% per month.
·         7% of Canadian Moms post their opinions on weblogs everyday, 8% every week and 10% per month.
·         6% of those who interviewed contributed on their own weblog every day. An extra 3% contributed on their own weblog every week, and 5% per month.
·         3% of Canadian Mom blog writers had written a post about a product or product.
·         12% of Canadian moms watch video clips published online every day. 28% watch video clips every week, and 31% click ‘Play’ per month.
·         8% of Moms in Canada post on Twitter, or reading Twitter posts everyday. Another 7% read Twitter posts every week and a further 8% examine Twitter posts per month.
·         Canadian moms are socially very involved.
·         63% have ‘Liked’ a business web page on Facebook or fb and 26% have mentioned on those pages. 19% had published about a product on their personal Facebook or fb web page.
·         15% Have a look at forums or forums everyday, with 9% definitely taking part. An extra 16% examine these social networks every week (11% participating) and 21% per month (12% participating).
·         58% Have a look at sites every day, with an extra 19% signing in every week.