One of my major concerns with Social networking / media sites lately is the tremendous amount of spam that is being generated. Now that Google and other search engines have begun to index tweets to instantly update searchers, I worry about the integrity of results being pulled in from Twitter, etc. Mind you, spam has and always will be an issue whether it’s walking spam (door to door salesmen), Fax Spam: Unsolicited faxes, phone spam, email spam, etc., so I’m not suggesting that spam will ever go away, and, unfortunately, it will be a part of social media as well. Twitter does remove posts and does suspend accounts for abuse, but as more and more businesses jump on the social media bandwagon, twitter spam will be here to stay.
So, what can you do to prevent twitter spam on your account?
Be careful who you follow.
I personally try and steer clear of the following characters, Multi Level Marketers, anyone who uses the word GURU, life coaches and real estate agents. I’m not picking on those entire industries, but I can tell you from experience, they tend to post wothless solicitations OVER AND OVER AND OVER. Do your homework before you follow someone, see who they are associating themselves with, and remember, you can always delete them from your account at the first site of a a new home listing from Realtor Joe, or a post on how you can make billions tomorrow by following three easy steps.
Don’t Be That Guy / Girl.
Automating Twitter posts if fine and a great time saver, however, posting the same message over and over in hopes that your message will saturate the market will defeat the entire purpose of being ‘social’. Also, while it’s important to always be closing, if every one of your tweets is a solicitation, you’re doing it wrong. Twitter is about engaging and being ‘social’, not listing every one of your recent real estate listings in North Dakota.
How can you be a responsible Tweeter?
Be Social. Social media / networking is a two way street. As a business, use twitter to boost your customer service, use your twitter account to help people assemble your products, use twitter to poll your customers on product improvements, etc.
Be a giver. Many companies are gun-shy to give stuff away these days, but rest assured, if they can’t find it on your web site, they will find it on your competitors site. People are hungry for information, they will find it online, use your twitter account to help them find the information on your web site before they find it elsewhere.
Be Consistent. One of the biggest mistakes companies make using social media is that they give up. They are gun ho in the beginning and then fizzle out once they don’t get instant results. If you stop tweeting, you become less relevant. The less relevant you become, the more relevant your competition becomes. Once you start, know that a commitment is warranted to make your social media efforts succeed and grow.
Stay Relevant. Stay on top of changing times. The whole beauty of social media is it’s ability to disseminate information rapidly and efficiently. Spread company news, share information about upcoming product releases, comment on industry news RELEVANT to your market.
Be Transparent. The truth shall set you free: If you think for a second that people won’t discover indiscretions about your company on the Internet, think again. Be who you are, admit to mistakes, be a human being.
The Bottom Line: If your business does not have a solid social media plan for 2010, we need to talk. Social media is not the COMPLETE answer to your marketing needs, rather, it is a method to help build brand awareness for your business. Social media is but one tool of an Internet marketing campaign arsenal. Call me today at 407-830-4550 to discuss your Internet marketing needs.
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Tags: social media
