Social Media - Common Mistakes That Can Cost You Business

Social Media is proving to be incredibly important to businesses, large or small. Every time you send a tweet, update a status or publish a blog, you are creating something that is made for the world to see. Engaging with current and future clients, sharing knowledge and becoming an online presence can be conversational, fun and highly profitable. 

However, making silly mistakes such as spelling and grammar, or publishing inappropriate content or content not relevant to your business can be worse than having no social media presence at all. Remember, what goes on the web, stays on the web. 

TOP TIPS

Spelling & Grammar

Inappropriate  & Relevant Content

As a business, you need to beware of being associated with certain opinions that may cause your business or reputation harm by putting off potential customers. People use your Facebook or Twitter to get to know the person behind the business, be sure they like what they see. If you don’t want them to see your private information, set up a completely separate profile. 

• Avoid overly political views, pictures, rants  – debate a news story if it is relevant to your business, the local area or trade but avoid being too one sided.
• Don’t swear, post offensive pictures or comment on other peoples posts in an offensive manner.
• Keep photos relevant to your business, staff, locations etc. ( Ask your staff first before posting any pictures of them)
• Avoid directly "bad-mouthing" other companies. If it is a complaint regarding services, contact them directly. If it is a company in direct competition with yours, they will come off better in the long run.

If you aren't sure if a post or tweet is appropriate for your business, then it probably isn't. 

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Social media mistakes you don't want to make

Social media is everywhere. Any web page you visit will almost certainly encourage you to tweet, like or pin its content. Companies are creating brand new forms of advertising to cater for the social media networks. Engagement with social media is at an all time high and even countries that have banned certain sites like Facebook are showing massive growth.

source Wikimedia Commons

Businesses are rapidly finding out that social media can mean increased brand awareness, growth of their client base and relatively low cost yet effective marketing. Clever companies have used social media to launch viral videos, competitions and stunts, driving up their popularity. 

 

source Wikimedia Commons

 
There are however, some risks when you introduce social media to your business strategy. A single misstep or innocent blunder can render your brand a laughing stock. So before you dip a toe into social media as a business, read the tips below...

3) Check, check and check again
One of the most attractive parts of social media is the ease of use. Type a short, pithy comment about your business, possibly with a picture attached, click one button and voila! The latest piece of marketing gold has been launched into the twittersphere. The disadvantage of this, however, is that a few moments of not concentrating, a moment of bad judgement and you have launched something that will cripple your reputation and never, ever be lost, because once information is on the world wide web, it is never lost.

Enter American firm KitchenAid, who allowed an astonishingly bad taste joke about the president's deceased relative to find its way onto their twitter feed. A quick fire round of retweets later and the company was in hot water, with many public apologies and hurried denunciations made over the following days. The damage was done however, and despite the company deleting the tweet almost immediately, echos of it will be floating online as a cautionary tale long into the future.

 

source Wikimedia Commons

2) You hold your company's reputation in your hands
If you've been in marketing for more than five minutes, you'll know that reputation is everything for a brand. Without a rock solid reputation for honesty, good choices and quality, growing a business is nearly impossible. Throughout your marketing you will have been developing your company's image. Badly thought through social media campaigns can turn all that to ash in a surprisingly short amount of time.

So it was for The Redner Group, who oversaw the launch of much loved shooter Duke Nukem's long awaited new release, 'Duke Nukem Forever'. The PR section posted a public statement on twitter that appeared to threaten to withhold new review copies of titles from outlets who gave the game a poor review. The backlash from fans, reviewers and the larger industry was deafening, leaving the company's reputation for fairness in tatters. 

1) You may loose more than you think
Social media mistakes can have wide reaching consequences. A slip up (or gross stupidity) may cost you money, time and possibly your job. Worst cases may even result in legal consequences. Again, this often comes as a result of impulsive posting behaviour, but in some cases what may appear a silly, harmless prank can lead to disaster when they hit the public forum.

Two employees at a New York branch of Domino's Pizza learned this the very hard way when they posted a video they filmed showing various misbehaviours at work on YouTube and the social media networks, quickly coming to the attention of their bosses. The evidence of their antics was slammed as 'disgusting', caused a major dent in Domino's reputation for hygiene and standards and swiftly led to the sacking of both the stars of the show. If that wasn't enough, both of them were brought up on legal charges for various health code violations. 

source Wikimedia Commons

So when you embrace social media for your business, embrace also the lessons to be learned from these and the countless other similar stories on the internet. Remember, with great social media power comes great responsibility...

See also:
5 Small business secrets...
The battle of the browsers...

website design and online directory listings

3 things to consider about sponsorship

3 things to consider about sponsorship as a small business

Small businesses are constantly seeking ways to promote their services and their skills. From electrical contractors to gallery owners, developing a solid marketing strategy is vital if you want to grow your business. 

One option that may be available to you is sponsorship. Sports teams at every level, individuals looking to break records or increase their visibility or an upcoming event all need revenue to reach their goals. This is where you come in - as a corporate sponsor you provide needed income in return for public recognition of your name and brand. 

Think about local football or cricket teams. They need to buy kit, perhaps maintain training grounds or club space, pay for advertising and so on. So they attract sponsors from the world of business, who put up bill boards and signs on the pitch in return for monthly or yearly payments.The team can now pay for their new away kit and the business has a very visible ad on their pitch. Everybody wins.

Or do they?

Here are 3 things to consider before taking up sponsorship as a marketing strategy...

1) Image association

Tying your brand to a group or an individual can provide powerful associations. A winning team, or a courageous last placer, can provide positive associations for your company.

This does cut both ways, however. The arrogant midfielder who swears at every match and the dispirited coach who is a public drunk also gets associated with you, but not in a positive way. 

It is best to carefully consider your chosen sponsee. Protect yourself as much as you can by doing your homework on your chosen people. Monitor their behaviour and public image for a while before taking the plunge.

2) Product and service awareness

You invest a certain amount of money and in return get a platform from which to advertise your business. It's up to you how you do this. One option is to highlight products and services - perhaps the most popular type of garden furniture you make, or maybe a slow selling menu that you want to promote. By using your visible space e.g. billboard, section on their website or brochure, you can speak directly to consumers who follow your sponsee.

Be aware of your competition however. Many people have multiple sponsors, often from the same industry. You do not want your latest range of paper office supplies advertised next to a piece of new technology promising a paperless office.

Try to build a close relationship with your sponsee and stay involved in the process of placing sponsored advertising. That way you have more chance of some control over who you share space with. 

3) Local sponsorship

The goal of local sponsorship is to invest in local resources and communities, supporting local culture and funding things close to your employee's hearts. These types of sponsorship can promote excellent public relations in your area, develop a loyal customer base and improve the morale of your staff. 

Looking at the flip side, local sponsorship can often be exactly that. Recognition can be thin on the ground outside of the local area, or worse, outside of the specific industry you are sponsoring. You can work hard to promote a local youth shelter or a charity cake sale, but ultimately you may feel no real effect from a wider marketing point of view.

Understand the limitations when putting together your sponsorship plan. Aim for a balance between investment and return to ensure you don't overspend on concerns that have a lower publicity potential. By all means cover your finance manager's Teddy Bears Picnic charity event, but don't rank it higher than a rider in a coast-to-coast triathlon when allocating the sponsorship budget.

Avoiding sponsorship disaster requires planning, forethought and a certain amount of luck, but when done properly it can be hugely beneficial. With a sensible and professional approach, sponsorship can be an empowering and lucrative marketing strategy, as well as a fantastic opportunity to support local and national teams, groups and events. 

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