linkedIn « The Daily Grind by Melissa Shea

Caution: Social Media Can Hurt!

By Melissa Shea | Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

I’m leading with the ending here…

“In the end…What is to be learned here? Well, don’t lead with tools. Don’t think that your brand is above the risks and backlash of social media. When plotting a social media campaign, truly think about what you want your end result to be, and fully examine everything that could possibly go wrong. Word-of-mouth marketing is a fantastic thing when you know how to leverage it. But if you lose control of your brand, the disasters are almost endless. Let these brands’ failures be a lesson.”

A few days ago ZDNet published this ending for a story about the Nine Worst Social Media Failures of 2009…thus far…wow – it’s only May and I couldn’t believe how badly some of these huge companies crashed and burned while using social media tools. Hopefully this will serve as fair warning to the ad agencies of the world when earning millions by creating social media campaigns. I think the most shocking thing about these examples are that they were dreamed up by the “best and the brightest” ad agencies in the country. Madison Avenue – What were you thinking????

So please, read the story. It’s entertaining – and a cautionary tale of major proportions. Nine Worst Social Media Failures of 2009…thus far.

So what can we learn from these massive miscalculations? How can apply them in our own businesses? Using Social Media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. are essential in today’s business world. With advertising budgets feeling cramped and more and more people online, it’s crazy not to use these mediums – as evidenced by the top companies that are using them – many quite effectively.

Here are some social media tips that will help – not hurt your business!

Be a giver: Don’t constantly promote your business service. Offer free resources, promote others, share your thoughts and life. Social media is about being “social” – don’t ever forget that.

Build relationships: Don’t just see how many friends or fans or follows you can accumulate. You might have an “impressive” number, but without building a relationship with your contacts, that list is of no real value to your business. Just as you make efforts to get to know your face-to-face business associates and clients, you need to create that same relationship with your followers.

Create viral content: You will attract more quality contacts by providing real value in your communications. Seek to share and educate freely and you will be rewarded by being promoted by your contacts virally.

Remember your audience: Think through who your audience is and how you can best serve them. Constantly promoting the wrong or same message to the wrong audience is wasting your time and theirs. You will have greater success if you understand who the audience is for each of your social media campaigns and direct the correct message to each one.

Be present: You can’t play if you don’t show up for the game. Schedule regular “face” time in your social media venues so that you can make more contacts and deliver value to your potential customers. If you only show up once in a while and don’t have a strategic approach – you business will not see a benefit.

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