5. Falling prey to phishing attacks
There are few things more embarrassing for an individual or a business than having a social media account compromised by a phishing attack. These attacks usually start when another compromised account sends a direct message to all the accounts connected to them via social media – for example, Twitter. While these messages are camouflaged to seem harmless and fun, they are indeed the bait for the phishing! You might have seen this one in your DM box “I can't believe the look on your face in this video” with a link of some sort. The innocent and unsuspecting user then clicks the link and it takes them to what appears to be the social media site they are on but in reality, it is a phishing site! Phishing sites are designed to record their username and password and start the cycle again.
Fair warning, watch out for suspicious links and don't be afraid to tweet to the user in question that their account might have been compromised.
4. Auto-DMing
So your Twitter account is growing, like hand over fist growing – and you're thrilled but also overwhelmed! What on earth is a growing Twitter account to do?!?! If you answered, “Reward them with something like this… “Thank you so much for following! We hope you find our tweets interesting and informative.” YOU ARE WRONG! SO WRONG!
Essentially you have resorted to 140 characters of spam, and this my friends is a slippery slope! This type of automated response reminds me of an excerpt from one of my favorite business books Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson of 37Signals
…like when you’re on hold and a recorded voice comes on telling you how much the company values you as a customer. Really? Then maybe you should hire some more support people so I don’t have to wait thirty minutes to get help.
Don't make your first social media impression a regrettable spammy version of your awesomeness.
3. Auto-posting
Ok really I mean auto anything in excess is just not okay! I get how tempting auto-posting can be for tweets, Facebook, and blogs as we live in a microwave society where fast and easy rule over quality and time. But, like any good diet plan, take the time to enjoy the fruits that come with the labor – moderation is truly key!
So heed this advice or be like Mr. Popular – Guy Kawasaki and tweet upbeat positive commercial messages to your followers as a national tragedy unfolds! Hopefully, though if you don't heed my advice and find yourself digging an embarrassing hole like Mr. K you stop digging.
Lesson Here? Auto-posting in moderation is palatable but not the ticket to a FREE Lunch.
2. Slow Response or Unresponsive
So, you or your business has a Twitter or Facebook but you don't really check it? I would do you a favor and get rid of it or pull down any indication that you do use it. There is nothing more annoying than writing a question to a company and getting crickets back…for days…and then days…and then *ding* response! Sure you may not have meant to ignore them but your potential customer doesn't know that! And that spells customer service bad juju!
What is even worse than unresponsiveness on a sparse account is a non-response from an active account! Don't take for granted that your customer base will always be there.
This is social media be social.
1. Buying Likes & Followers
In social media, much like everyday life, there are no shortcuts to lasting success. And while money can buy you a lot of temporary followers, it can't buy you loyalty! Potential customers have dollars to spend and if you engage them they will LIKE, follow, and maybe even spend cash money on your goods. Don't underestimate the power of presence. No, not presents…PRESENCE!
We understand the temptation of spending a few dollars for big fat social media numbers. The only problem with this shortcut is when Facebook or Twitter starts to toss out all those fake accounts like yesterday's leftovers; watch your social media numbers turn into a big fat billboard that you cheated. Clearly not a good way to build customer confidence in your organization. Don't cheat your way through social media! Like Mama always says, ‘Quality over Quantity'.
Social Media cheaters never prosper!
Stick to the basics and ask yourself honest questions about your game plan. What are your goals? Who is your audience? Where do you want this social media to take your business? Don't be fooled by quick fixes and shiny solutions, take the time to build your social media…or get someone to help. Seriously, we love this junk. It's awesome.
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Social Media Mistakes
