Things We Shouldn’t Do On Facebook & Twitter

Social Media has opened up a whole new can of worms when it comes to exposing our lives, showing us things we shouldn’t do on Facebook and Twitter, especially when it comes to business.

You love keeping your people in the loop about what’s going on in your life, like what you had for breakfast this morning. Maybe the last time you visited the doctor, or how much you love your cat. And all those things are great… when you’re logged into your personal Facebook and Twitter accounts. But when it comes to your business social media accounts, these aren’t the kinds of things you want your customers to know about. Let's talk about it.

There are things you may not have known will affect your business on Facebook and Twitter, but you’ve been doing them for some time—and you may actually thought you were doing it right. Let’s go over a few of those bad habits and weed them out of your social media routines.

Sell, Sell, Sell

The only time you update your status on Facebook or Twitter is to tell people that they should buy your stuff. Did you know that people will get sick of yours sales rant if it keeps showing up in their feed? These people want a distraction, they want to be amused—they don’t want to be marketed to on their personal time. So take a break from selling and entertain. Share something that you found amusing, entertaining or interesting. Chances are your customers will appreciate it and start tuning into your posts… even when you do have something to sell.

Ignoring Your Fans

You want more fans… so why are you ignoring them? That’s just plain rude! If you’re ignoring what fans are writing on your wall or shutting off comments all together, you’re doing your brand a huge disservice. Don’t use Facebook and Twitter as just an advertising platform. You should be using them as a way to open a dialogue with your customers. Answer all direct messages and wall posts, good and bad. This will show fans and followers that you are building a community and value a strong relationship with fans and customers.

He Started It!

Facebook and Twitter are not the places to get into arguments or ‘I’m right, your wrong’ contests. This isn’t 2nd grade—sticks and stones will hurt your online reputation. If you react to a negative or nasty comment with snarkiness or anger, you’re the one who’s going to look unprofessional. If it’s your customers who are having an argument on your wall, let them talk it out before jumping in and cutting it off. If you decide to get in on the war of words, stay calm and respond diplomatically. It’s a good idea to have house rules in place before something like this occurs, so that users know what is and isn’t acceptable.

Have you made any of these scenarios happen to you on Facebook and Twitter in the past? Do you have any valuable stories to share? We’d love to hear all about them—tell us on Twitter or Instagram.