How NOT To Use Social Media by Jennifer Fong

I know you love your business.  You are enthusiastic, passionate, and you’re out to change the world.  However, one of the occupational hazards of loving your business too much is social media selling - something I affectionately term the “Sales Swoop” any time you see an opening (and sometimes when you don’t!)

So today’s post is about what NOT to do online in social media 

Let me preface this by saying that what you SHOULD be doing is providing valuable content online that people appreciate.  You should NOT be a walking sales pitch.  I love it when people get it right.  One of the ladies I’m friends with on Facebook who happens to be a wine consultant posts wine tips a few times a day as her Facebook status update.  I’m learning the temperature my white wine should be to bring out the flavor.  I laugh at her jokes about how most people age wine for as long as it takes to get it from the store to the glass.  In short, she’s got an audience.  She GETS it.  I know she sells wine.  But she’s not ramming it down my throat, and I look forward to her posts.

So let’s talk about some sales faux pas in the online world.

1. If I mention your company or your product, do not swoop down on me.  Instead, start a conversation with me.  Get to know me and find out what I like, what my interests are.  Check out my blog and see what I write about.  In short, know me as a person before you try to sell me anything.

2. Don’t provide me with a link to your website the minute I meet you online

Just because I’ve mentioned anything remotely related to your product line doesn't mean I need a link to where you sell it.  I won’t click it.  Instead, I will most likely ignore you and will never click on anything you send me ever again.  Instead, engage with me.  Say hello. Share (FREE) resources with me about the interest that I’ve mentioned.  I’m a lot more likely to be interested in what you have to offer when you express an interest in my needs, and try to help me with my needs (without trying to sell me immediately.)

3. Do not make every status update a broadcast about your product. 

You may think you’re meeting people’s needs by sharing valuable information about your products, but you’re not.  Instead, you sound like a commercial.  And I like to go get ice cream during commercials, not pay attention to them.  I’d rather get to know YOU in your status updates, and have you get to know me.

4. PLEASE don’t make your logo your avatar.

 People in social media want to connect with PEOPLE, not logos.  It’s amazing, but I feel a LOT more connected with those people online who have faces.  When people have a logo up, I have no idea who they are, and I pay less attention.  The people you’re trying to reach will do the same thing.

5. DON’T sign me up for your newsletter until I do it myself. 

My friends, this is actually against the law.  It’s called SPAM if I don’t sign up for it myself.  If I have an interest in your newsletter, rest assured, I know how to find you.  But don’t sign me up without asking first.

Social media can have a dramatic impact on your business. It can help you connect with people you never could have met before, and can position you as an expert that people turn to for advice and products.  By avoiding the social media selling faux pas I mention above, you will be on the path to success in social media.

What do you think?  Have you experienced the “Sales Swoop?”  Are you a reformed “Sales Swooper?”  Would love to read your comments below!