[Hi, gang! I’ve been out of town on the Western slopes of Colorado for a few days. Just now getting back to chat with you here on the blog.]
I just read an excerpt of Steven Stratton’s new book, Unmarketing: Stop Marketing, Start Engaging in which he talks about some of the many ways you can go wrong with social media.
Greed. Examples include only re-tweeting
compliments about you and your business, taking up excessive space on Facebook posts with 7-line signatures, “drive by” postings on LinkedIn, and impersonal invitations to multi-level marketing.
Gluttony. If you are focusing on your number of followers (on Twitter or elsewhere) at the expense of relationships, you’re just plain wrong. Social media is most useful to individuals and businesses as means to build relationships.
Sloth. If you take too much time before responding to direct messages, don’t bother. Effective use of social media requires you to be engaged.
Envy. Don’t envy others’ numbers and don’t expect others to follow you just because you follow them. And, don’t expect them to join your online causes and charity interests just because they are your “friends.”
Wrath. It’s only a matter of time before someone gets mad at you. Assuming your interest in social media is to support your business, remember that all social media has more lurkers than participants. Should you react inappropriately, you may be doing serious damage to your online image.
Lust. Lust happens even online. And, when it does, be careful with what you post online . . . including your photos. Again, if your interest in social media is about building your business, your family vacation photos at the beach are not supporting your professional image. Think twice before posting photos and comments that can reflect poorly on your judgment and your professionalism.
Pride. It’s perfectly ok to tout your pride . . . even in your family members’ accomplishments. Just make sure that you demonstrate pride in others outside of your family, too. Don’t turn your blog or your tweets into social media shrines to you.
Have you seen any examples of these seven deadly sins of social media? Have you been guilty of any?
I think a lot of bloggers are guilt of breaking most if not all of these. I know that there are a lot of mommy bloggers that just focus on the numbers. If they have a ton of followers on facebook and twitter, then their pride takes over. I try my best to build relationships, maybe that is why my numbers are so low. My blog has been around for three years now but I still have less than 1000 subscribers and followers. The number doesn’t matter too much, it is the content and how you interact with the people that make up the numbers.
Great article!
Hi, Cascia! Welcome to Private Practice from the Inside Out! And, thanks for bringing in the mommy blogger perspective. If we are planting seeds for long term growth of our blogs and our businesses, then relationships are critical. I’m always amazed at bloggers and business owners who don’t listen to their readers and clients . . . just talk at them rather than with them. None of us like to be lectured to. I like to work with businesses who will listen to me as their customer . . . learning what I like and don’t like and then using that information to change what they offer. And, that’s what I try to do as a blogger and business owner, too.
Cascia, I hope you’ll drop back in often to share your thoughts!
Excellent tips, and I got a hoot out of the format of your list as the Seven Deadly Sins. It’s easy to lose sight of engagement, but true engagement keeps the heart in social media.
Hi, Gail! Welcome back! Yes, that’s my favorite one, too. If you don’t blog, then you’re probably not aware of how much comments really mean. But for those like you and me who are interested in building a community, that thoughtful little comment you leave really does help to foster that sense of community engagement and connection.
And, at least for me, that connectedness is why I blog. If I wanted to publish in traditional media – talking at you rather than with you – I would not have chosen to blog. My interest is in learning from each of my readers and build a community so that we can all talk to / learn from each other.
Wow, awesome blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is magnificent, let alone the content!
Thanks so much! I’ve been here since the summer of 2009. Beth J. Hayden, of Blogging with Beth fame is responsible for putting the bones of this site together. She is an amazing woman to work with and I would encourage anyone who is considering building a website or a blog to chat with her before settling on a web designer. I don’t think you’ll find another designer with more integrity, more SEO-savvy, and more value for your dollar.