Avoiding The Initial Social Media Mistakes

One of the mistakes that I’ve witnessed many new brands and individuals make when first entering into social media is their attempt to bring their old media way of thinking along with them. This traditional way of thinking and attempt to squeeze into a different medium will eventually lead to failure.

Instead of joining a social network, listening to the community and determining how that particular community works, quite often instead they will instead join and begin quickly aggressively pursuing the members of this social network with their look at me and buy this now message. The community whether it be Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or some other community will eventually turn its collective back on the brand as abuse will only be tolerated for so long.

What brands and businesses new to social networks should instead be doing is:

1. Join the social network using a real name or the business name
2. Upload a real picture of yourself or your product
3. Use the search tools to discover individuals who are already talking about you or your brand and friend or follow them
4. Listen to the conversations that are currently taking place and learn what is and what isn’t appropriate conduct on that particular social network
5. After gaining followers and have learned the rules begin to socialize with those in your network. It is after all called “social” networking.
6. Answer questions, ask questions and offer genuine help to those people who may be interested in your product/brand/business
7. Repeat

To put the above into perspective I present you with two very different scenarios:

1. You’re at a party and there is someone there who’s had far too much fun already and is harassing everyone he/she encounters with loud drunken talk and push behavior. Eventually he/she is dancing on the table and puking in the planter.
2. You’re at a party and there is an individual there who is walking around making small talk with all those in the room. He/she is asking questions, telling jokes, sharing stories and listening to what others around him are saying. This is an articulate individual who is facilitating conversation among the group and everyone seems to be drawn to him/her.

How do you want your brand/business to be remembered amongst the social networks? Do you want your reputation to be that of the loud drunk or that of the articulate well spoken individual?