10 Social Media Blunders that Can Destroy Your Brand
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Hot off of speaking at Small Business Marketing Unleashed, I’ve been thinking a lot about the both the best use and the abuse of social media. After listening to my extremely talented peers speak on the subject, it occurred to me that I sometimes take for granted that people know the best practices of using web 2.0 to build their businesses.
But even this week I’ve seen nuclear fail moments, so I thought it be best to share the top ten ways to destroy your brand with social media.
Do the Hard Sell
If you are on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or mingling with other bloggers and pitching your product, the door will slam in your face fast. There are places on the internet for pitches and sales - appropriate places, even, like in press releases, landing pages, and Google AdSense ads. The pitch isn’t welcome here - and it’s sad to see that some people still haven’t figured that out by now.
Leave blog comments that are really “Adverquestions” or “Introtisements”
There’s a chapter in Patrick O’Keefe’s great new book Managing Online Forums
Hide your true intentions
All I can think of is the backlash that the big brands have experienced when they secretly hired people to evangelize products or companies. Think Sony, Wal-Mart, Zipatoni. Whoops.
Stoop to the level of attacks for the sole purpose of getting attention
I have no respect for people who have so little writing talent that the best linkbait they can come up with is an attack on another blogger. Darren Rowse has his own personal Troll, and half of this Troll’s posts are dedicated to trying to discredit him or insult him. Then he complains that his blog isn’t as successful as Darren’s blog… Hmmm… let’s just think about that for a second…
Submit every single post you’ve ever read (or written) to social bookmarking sites
In case you haven’t noticed, the communities around social bookmarking sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Propeller & Mixx are pretty smart and savvy people. Bombarding these sites with mediocre content will pretty much guarantee that you’ll get ignored, blocked, or both.
Solicit votes for every single post you’ve ever submitted to social bookmarking sites
Please, for the love of God, if you are going to pound the pavement to promote a post, you’d better dang well make sure that it’s your best work. I love to support people who occasionally Twitter a great, quality bookmarked link. But I’m not willing to vote on stuff and fill up my own voting profile with garbage. We all have a reputation to manage here.
Be a copycat
Leaders in the blogosphere & in social media are there for one main reason - they are thought leaders, trailblazers, & original thinkers. If you’re constantly filling up your blog with “Me Too” posts or even worse, stealing content by “rewriting” it, then guess what? Your brand is pretty much destroyed already, because you never had one to begin with.
Be a friend whore
I’ve seen this especially on StumbleUpon and Twitter, where people just go indiscriminately adding strangers as friends - usually adding up to thousands. And then they usually proceed to spam these people. Not only this is the pond scum of the social media ecosystem, it might even get your IP address banned from the service.
Show up as a company spokesperson, brand representative, sales executive, or anything else other than simply showing up as a real human being
The most important point I made in my presentation at Unleashed is that if you are going to show up in the Web 2.0 community for business reasons, show up as a person first. People don’t want to connect with brands, companies, or products. People want to connect with people.
Walk like a duck & quack like a duck
If you associate yourself too closely with anyone who is doing the above, you might as well kiss your own brand goodbye too. The internet is too easily abused, and people will likely assume that you are in cahoots with the offending duck (or will even assume you are the same ‘duck’ under a different pseudonym).
So don’t be a sitting duck - pluck up your integrity and stay far, far away.
: A USA bank account can make or mar your online business experience. Why can a USA.. http://tinyurl.com/ntqsb9 07/06/09 01:09pm
: Today is the day when real Americans light off fireworks (or, in many states, watch the g.. http://tinyurl.com/lqrvnu 07/06/09 01:09pm
: http://pcrschool.org/news/?p=7931 07/06/09 12:34pm
: tiz the apple of all qustions 07/06/09 12:29pm
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Sparkplugging Founder Wendy Piersall is dang passionate about helping people start & grow a business while maintaining life balance (somehow). 
Kelly McCausey is an internet marketer, blog publisher, podcaster
and web business coach. Host of 
Bill Parlaman is owner of 
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Great post. I too get irritated with constant sales, trash comments on my blog, etc. I hope this post goes far and wide, especially to those blundering.
MouthyGirl’s last blog post..Men in the Delivery Room?
Great assessment! The sad part is that too many people who need to read this would never think to read it.
I made the mistake of over-soliciting Stumbles on my posts when I first started blogging. I’m sure I came across as a total heel. Thanks for your post Wendy, and thanks for the Stumbles you have given me
The biggest pet peeve for me that you pointed out is the hard sell. I’m tired of turning around and seeing yet another sale of yet another product I’m not interested. And it’s getting even worse on places, as you mentioned, like Twitter and within comments. It’s difficult and time consuming to manage and the offenders don’t care enough about their brand to realize the detriment the practice is to it.
Katy Castro’s last blog post..Discover Niche Social Networking
Good advice Wendy! Seems like most people go through a natural learning curve when using social media, so it’s always helpful to get a heads up or reinforcement for things one has experienced or learned. Golden Rule applies in social media too - it goes a long way in building relationships and enhancing your own personal brand.
Jeremy (Discovering Dad)’s last blog post..Discovering Dad Diet - Ode to My Bubble Butt
Wendy,
I know that I’ve made many of these mistakes. Like many people, I’m navigating, trying to find my way. I’ve been on Twitter for 3 whole days now, and I have seen people following thousands and I didn’t understand how or why anyone could read that much! Now I get they are ‘buying’ friends or whatever. The web is a great place to interact, meet new friends, and learn. Thanks
BTW.I love the new site..:)
Michelle Vandepas’s last blog post..Now You Too Can Be Tagged By A Blogger’s Compulsive Behavior!
How true it is. But like GeekMommy wrote, those who need to read it won’t.
Steve J’s last blog post..Let The Job Applicant Ask The Questions
Thanks everyone! I do believe that all of us have made at least one or two mistakes on this list. On the advice of someone who shall remain nameless, a long time ago I went and added everyone I could find as a friend on the old Netscape/Propeller.
Never did get much traffic from that site.
Great Post ! I am new to twitter and I should could use some twitter how to articles (hint hint)
Thanks for the link Wendy!
love that troll picture too LOL
perfect post… wish more people from around the SEO industry would read this too!
Li Evans’s last blog post..Online Content Strategies: One Hit Wonders or Writing for Your Audience?
Awesome post and just what I needed to read and the right time. I’m part of a team of moms who launched a new blog and trying to build audience. I already understood that Twitter is give and take, and it’s really about connecting, not just promoting. But this definitely confirms what I thought.
Thanks!
Or they’ll read it, and not realize it’s them.
Shannon Smith’s last blog post..Twitter Updates for 2008-04-24
Adding people just to spam them is annoying. If someone I added were to do that to me, I’d sure delete them right away.
Kelvin Kao’s last blog post..Seamus and Magellan frame grabs
Ditto, although I know I have been guilty of making that mistake too. Keeping your integrity intact is the way to go.
Wow, great post. I must admit that I have been guilty of a few of the 10. Great reminder that we are building relationships and we cant view people with big dollar signs on their heads.
Kurt
Great post Wendy. One thing I’m curious about (since we are talking about social networking) is: there are TONS of SN sites out there right now, how do you chose which ones to become a part of? Do you join every single one, or, should you be selective? What would the criteria be?
I think this is such an interesting topic, and quite the direction the Internet is moving in. I love the whole social network and viral marketing aspect of it, but just can’t spread myself that thin; I do have to work *sometime*!
Carrie Sommer’s last blog post..Spring Break 2008: 967 Miles
Yes! My terms are making their way into the vernacular! lol.
Thanks for the mention!
Patrick
Patrick’s last blog post..Managing Online Forums: Everything You Need to Know to Create and Run Successful Community Discussion Boards
Patrick, I’m hoping they make it into the Dictionary. They are the best words I’ve seen made up EVER!
:)!
I am printing this post out and passing it around the office to anyone that has any social media function in our law firm. Some people just don’t understand why you can’t drop a link and spam other people’s blogs. I couldn’t have said it any better myself, so everyone gets a copy!
> Walk like a duck & quack like a duck
That is one of the hardest things for me. Once you are already friends with someone and then down the road they start committing these blunders it’s hard to break off that relationship. For me, I just don’t keep in touch as much with them, but I still keep in touch. What would you do if someone you made friends with started committing some of these blunders? Would you be upfront with them, stop talking with them, quickly disassociate with them, keep then as friends and ignore the changes?
George’s last blog post..The Key To Buying Pre-Owned Domain Names
Yeah, that is a tough one, George. I have that situation as well.
It really depends on the thing they are doing, I guess. I get daily Stumble requests from someone for content I would never thumb up. I just ignore the requests, but stay friends.
For more serious issues, I would either out them, quietly disassociate myself, be upfront or cut all ties. Sometimes by outing them you give them undeserved attention, so it can be a fine line to walk.
Wendy,
Thanks. Quietly disassociating myself is the route that best suits my personality. It’s not easy though…
George’s last blog post..My Meeting With Wendy Piersall Of SparkPlugging
Oh man, do I hate friend whores. Mostly because after they have randomly friended me, I get a nice little Introtisement in my inbox.
A lot of these blunders would be avoided if people paid attention to the “social” part of social media and treated people as they would in a face to face social encounter.
Amber said: “Some people just don’t understand why you can’t drop a link and spam other people’s blogs.”
That is funny and so true. One of the forums that I manage is based around sports and it seems to get more of this stuff than others. We get these posts once in a while that it’s clear that they are spamming and they are spamming a major company (Vizio, the TV maker, was the last one). It’s like… “is really paying you to spam my forums?” Stupid!
Your not kidding patrick! One of the lawyers would go to a comment box and write “check out my blog” and leave a link. I couldn’t make him understand how that would piss people off so I basically told him to leave that job to me for now on!
This is all so new to me. Do I get personal? Do I stay businesslike? I don’t only have social media blunders I have questions like this off the Web like did I say too much to other carpool moms about what I do? Or, did I say too much about my personal life at a networking lunch. It’s never easy, why so critical? We are all human! Good advice though Wendy, now I know what I did not know! Thanks!
@ Carrie,
Honestly the way I have managed it is by NOT being a leader in social networking. I will only join and participate in a site when I see it has reached at least some point of critical mass (like Twitter this spring, for example).
I have plenty to do to lead in other areas of my business, this is one battle I choose not to fight.
@ Kim
Here’s a link to one of my favorite posts about getting personal on a business blog:
Moving Your Readers to Tears
I think you’ll like it a whole bunch.
Are you banned from Digg? I keep trying to submit this post and keep getting an error message that the URL doesn’t work. I get the error:
This link does not appear to be a working link. Please check the URL and try again.
Digg doesn’t appear to be down, because I tested it by submitting something else.
George’s last blog post..My Meeting With Wendy Piersall Of SparkPlugging
Good grief. If my week and a half old domain is banned from Digg I will be pissed beyond belief. I have no idea, I haven’t played around with Digg in several weeks.
If you figure it out, please let me know!
Thanks Wendy! It is still vastly unexplored territory to me. It seems many are communicating with in their own kind of protected bubble or click. It seems you all know each other well enough to pick up the thread of each others conversation and yet tread the social rules someone somewhere has established. I am business or I am personal, with what foot do I lead? Perhaps I should just talk about my dog who died three weeks ago today. I miss him sitting at my feet warming them while I type (yes still snow here)or maybe I should talk about the red robin who taps on the glass of my windown every morning asking perhaps to come in. I would rather write about those things but still need to work. I guess I will just have to watch and listen and figure this out! Thanks for the article referral!
Kim Power Stilson’s last blog post..Bluebird sister gets her soul back!
Kim, we’re all learning as we go, myself included.
Maybe you could find a way to write about your dog and weave in a business lesson?
I’ve found that those kinds of posts are the most fun to write, and also tend to be the most popular.
I have to chime in on Kim’s comment: When I started blogging (3 years ago) I kept it completely business. Then, one day, I added a more personal story, and traffic increased dramatically. Now, I try to blog both worlds, because it’s become increasingly apparent to me that my audience wants to get to know me as a person, as well as me as a businessperson. There’s a fine line, and you just have to go as far as you are comfortable. People tell me that I share a lot about myself; I really don’t. But maybe it’s my writing style that makes them think that.
I think it’s important to realize that with blogs especially, you are building a relationship, and an audience.
Sorry for the hijack Wendy!
Carrie Sommer’s last blog post..This dogs life.
Carrie, you can hijack my blog anytime, Baby.
Oh Great Wendy. I read this post, then sent off a pile of twitter replies that I meant to send as directs and keep private. Now I’m probably going to be banished…:) We need a twitter guide!
Michelle Vandepas’s last blog post..Living Your Life’s Purpose with Abundance!
Wendy,
Just a quick update on the Digg issue…
I tried submitting another one of your posts and it failed. I also tried to submit a post from ask the coach and it failed. Don’t know why. Maybe you are sandboxed by Digg
George’s last blog post..My Meeting With Wendy Piersall Of SparkPlugging
@ Michelle - Well, you must have deleted all of those Tweets, because I can’t find them anywhere.
No banishment around here!
This is a great post and should be mandatory reading for every single blogger. Sadly, many of them won’t ever see it or will think that it doesn’t apply to them. (I’ll stumble it to help it out though.)
You’d think that some of these points would be common sense, just common courtesy really. Apparently that’s not the case.
Laura Spencer’s last blog post..How Will the Economic Stimulus Package Affect You?
Thank you both for making my day. I’m kind of getting this . . . I hope I don’t oversimplify but perhaps this is like Emily Post manners yet instead of just for a tea party, thanks to the Internet and Web we are finally finding a way to combine both business and pleasure. I don’t like housework or sitting at a desk 8-5, perhaps you gals really do have it all (including the dogs at our feet — or as Gracie on the couch!)
Kim Power Stilson’s last blog post..Bluebird Battles Blunders
This is a great list, beautifully explained, Wendy. I’m so glad you included the one about soliciting votes from your social network for every post you publish. I have at times felt very uncomfortable when a member of a group bombards the group with Digg this! Stumble this! for every new post. I’ve felt particularly uncomfortable when the content of a post for which Digging or Stumbling was requested proved to be about as exciting as an old mop.
Des Walsh’s last blog post..Would You Include Twitter as a Fellow Panelist?
I’ve been using social networking sites for years and would add one more blunder to the list.
Spelling and Grammar. It can be so difficult to get through MySpace, Facebook and, well, just about any other site if they can’t spell or use punctuation.. I get lost and, worse, discouraged. Then I’m gone.
Oh, Wendy, by the way, I’m listening to your interview on PlanetaryStreams.com’s Blog Chat show right now. So useful.
Thanks!
Brent2’s last blog post..The Deeper Meaning of the Elastic Pick
Ok, Time for a Twitter question. I’ve been following people that are sort of annoying. If I unfollow them, do I have to explain, “uh, sorry, I don’t like the totally boring 27 updates every 1/2 hour so I unfollowed” or just unfollow or just forget it .. Etiquette?
Ms. Vandepas,
One of the good things about Twitter is that you aren’t notified when someone unfollows you. So, they won’t know unless they… well, look at their followers, know you were there and now you aren’t. But, most don’t do that. So, no explanation needed.
Patrick
I unfollow and forget. They don’t get a notification that you have unfollowed. And it’s likely they won’t notice, especially if they have lots of followers.
Wow such quick service! Off to unfollow a few now. Thanks
Michelle Vandepas’s last blog post..SOBCon08 Blogging Convention and Radio Live Remote!
I just ignore the friend whores.
Good post.
Geoservs last blog post..Are you Listed…
I don’t mind an occasional shout on digg, but there are some people that send a shout for everything they submit. It gets annoying really quickly. I just delete and ignore.
People that copy content really bug me!!! I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve surfed around and found my stuff on someone else’s site. Some of them actually reword it and try to make it their own, but you can tell.
Social media is the way to go. The potential is truly amazing. As more and more people go online and use social media the concept will keep growing and evolving.
Nicks last blog post..Hurricane Katrina-Complete Devastation
I enjoyed your post Wendy, but I disagree with #9. I believe people do want to connect with brands and companies. To prevent a rambling comment
please check out my “rebuttal” here: http://snurl.com/9hqx8
You are right, spamming to social bookmarking sites is so unprofessional. Thus who risk to get banned from sites like digg clearly does not understand the potentials of the sites.