May 19th, 2010 by Nick

Using social networking sites along with search engine optimisation tools for your company is not only a clever tactic, it is also subtle, effective and quite a lot of fun. The danger with putting your company out there on social networking sites, however, is that you are leaving yourself rather exposed and there is a risk that somebody could bring you down in an instant.

There are a few social media mistakes or blunders which any company embarking on any form of social media marketing should be fully aware of. Some of these mistakes have been made in a spectacular fashion by even some of the largest companies around, so if you are going to learn from something then make sure you learn from the best.

Creating something which seems natural but is not is one form of social marketing which can be a mistake. The term is often known as ‘online astroturfing’ and basically means that somebody within a social networking world will start something, whether it is a topic of conversation, a funny trick or a controversial group for people to join. The technique is meant to look like it has just been generated by public demand or interest, when in fact it is the company who have made this up. In the world of social media marketing word gets around quickly and it is difficult to conceal anything with this much depth behind it. If this type of strategy is discovered then it can make a company look silly and worst of all, deceitful.

What makes social networking so popular is that it reaches people on a personal level, so when you are company promoting your business on such a site you need to keep it personal as opposed to business like. Quite often a business will have a company profile on the likes of Facebook, but you should always have individual people from your company with profiles too. People want to hear from people, not companies, so not including real people to talk to will only isolate your profile and make it unattractive to other users.

The world of social networking moves at an alarming rate and with real time searches becoming even more popular, opinions and facts, or fiction, can be distributed across the social networking universe in minutes. To maintain your good online reputation, ensure that you keep abreast of all news stories and industry info so that you don’t post something which is no longer relevant. Being on top of your game is also vital if you are to rectify any problems or negative comments from others which could cause bad press.

Lastly, giving people too much free reign can also be a hindrance. When selecting employees to conduct your social media posts, it is difficult to know how far to go. Just having one person can limit opinions and content, however having everyone puts your company in more danger. Have clear purposes for each user and always lay down clear guidelines on what can and cannot be posted.

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