Social media if used correctly can be good. If used incorrectly, can distract or damage your business’ reputation. Often what can go wrong is having a person with their own agenda rather than that of the business. Personal or in appropriate information can sneak into the companies social outlet and eventually bring down the professionalism. Inappropriate material such as videos, jokes or articles can distract or damage the reputation of the company. Reputation is everything.
Disclaimer: There are always exceptions to the rules. Find what works for you. If you are stumbling, review these points as they may help.
I still believe in my original article,but I think this supplements it well. It is just a generalization of my experiences.
Spelling mistakes, grammar and misappropriation of material can also turn off a reader and in turn have the reader do business else where. Spelling and grammar mistakes is one major distraction that is easily preventable, but just as easily done.
A Twitter friend we will call Mike, had pointed out that one or more companies use personal content to humanize their business. These are exceptions to the rules. Sometimes personal content can really help drive business. City Lights in London Ontario is one of these business that use personal content effectively. For an example: follow @CityLightsLondn on twitter and visit their store. You will see how it all works well.
Another side conversation was sparked by my previous blog on Twitter. @Late2Game and@RonnyXu also shared how the link to competitors. @Late2Game did not stop short. Y saying I was being paranoid in my thoughts and old school, but he shared how his company uses links to competitors and says in the days of Google it’s easy to find an alternative. @RonnyXu elaborated on how linking to competitors have many benefits. He had mentioned how it creates customer respect which I believe translates to confidence. @RonnyXu had also mentioned that is technique worked for him. It especially works well when the linking is reciprocated. @RonnyXu did mention that it may not always work for all business in the long run. I think these are all valid points and I had thought of one more. Linking to competitors can create a community of like businesses that can share ideas, successes and failures that can ultimately enhance each other.
This is proof that there are always exceptions to the rule. I believe that it is also proof that no one is an expert and we can all learn from each other’s experiences.
Other reading – How Social Media Can Help Attract Business: click here
