7 Sins of Social Media

Last week I heard Darren Barefoot, co-founder of web-marketing agency Capulet Communications, speak on the "7 Deadly Sins" of social media. Darren is a social media expert, and while many claim this title for themselves, he backs it up with his daily work and is publishing a book in the near future. No matter how often we "tweet" or post on Facebook, we can always improve, and here are some key mistakes to avoid with your company or brand.

1. Thou shall do it, not talk about it

Everyone is talking about social media right now. Twitter could revolutionize the way we communicate, Facebook could change the way we do business, etc. Almost all companies talk about what they could do with social media, but a lot fewer of them are actually doing it. Nobody really cares what you "plan" on doing, only what you ARE doing: show, don't tell.

2. Take heed of thy tone

A simple message can be taken the wrong way if the tone it is communicated with the wrong tone for your audience. It is essential to be aware of how the tone of an advertisement, etc. affects your relationship with key influencers. A great example of proper tone use to bring humor to a "touchy" subject is this Jack in the Box commercial, as it is communicate in a lighter tone that creates enjoyment. The key is that you need to know your audience to know which tone to use.

3. Foist not thine spam upon yon rabble

If you are like me and understand every second work in this "sin," you may be confused. Basically, if you spam, you will suffer. Too often companies, especially those with a PR focus, push unsolicited email to try to get a story out. All this does is closes the door to potential new relationships with content publishers (some major bloggers have posted lists of people/companies they have blocked from sending them email). You need to get to know a person first before sending content, even if it just a quick email asking if they would like to read a new press release, etc.

4. Observe what the web sayeth

For companies to be successful in the new digital age, and specifically in social media, they need to closely follow what is being said online. It is essential to monitor the web, all the time, to learn what the community is saying and to identify potential "bombs" (think Domino's and YouTube). By catching negative events quickly, and responding in the same media and style where the incident occurred, the potential brand damage can be greatly mitigated.

5. Find a good Shepard for thy flock

The Internet is made of people, so you need a great "frontman" for your brand. A good Shepard, as Darren put it, is an advocate for your community, an evangelist for your brand, possesses excellent communication skills, and can easily solicit feedback.

6. Abandon not they Blog

If you choose to have a brand or company blog, you must keep it updated. If you are not publishing new content/posts once or twice a week, your blog may be doing your brand more harm than good. The biggest issue companies have is not finding content to publish, it is having someone available to write the blog post. So IF (not all companies need or should have a Blog), make sure you allocate enough resources to it.

7. Thou shall not deceive

This sin is straightforward, you cannot lie effectively on the Internet. Everything will be scrutinized by the crowd and is archived for future review. Your comments must be genuine and authentic or the community will know and your brand will suffer.

I know I was able to take a lot out of Darren's presentation, so hopefully you will be able to pull a few things out of this summary to help the development of your brand in the social media sphere.

[BecomeMaverick]