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Social Media Pet Peeves and Other Sins

Posted on November 07, 2014 by Kara in Social Media

Are you doing it wrong?

Facebook hit its tenth anniversary in February. That means that for the last decade, most of society’s communication has involved social media. With that, social media has developed its own code of conduct. Rules, etiquette,  and mores have evolved within social media and its ever-changing landscape. Social media can be used for a variety of things and for a number of goals. With these goals in mind, there is a wide range of ways to do social media right or ways to do it wrong, and a huge swath of ways to be mediocre. Today, we’re going to focus on ways to do it wrong.

Don’t be that guy (or gal)

We have a major pet peeve on Facebook, and we’re pretty sure you, or someone at your business, is committing this flagrant foul. How tacky is it to like your own Facebook status or comment? Aside from irony. Then why are you doing it to your business page? Thankfully, Facebook recently released a new feature to help you avoid it in the normal browser version. (Not the app. Facebook, if you are listening, fix the app!)

See that nifty drop down arrow? Click that and make sure you’re liking updates on your business page with your personal account.

Twitter Tips

While the list of Facebook sins is growing ever longer, let’s switch over to Twitter. Twitter can be such a powerful tool for your marketing platforms. But there are lots of rookie mistakes to make on Twitter.

Have you seen the Jimmy Fallon sketch about hashtags?

There is no need to play this game with your tweets. In fact, the folks at howtohashtag.com suggest using no more than two hashtags per tweet. Hashtags are important when it comes to tweeting. They instantly increase the reach of your tweet. However, if they are misused, it can really turn off your audience.

Another thing to be wary of on Twitter is automated response messages when someone follows you. It’s like getting a canned response if you email someone. Actually, we’ve seen a few that weren’t bad. Tread lightly and maybe offer a download or free gift or an invitation to visit your website. Just try not to be too skeevy. Yes, that’s a technical marketing term.

These are just a few of our social media pet peeves. The list could go on and on. Make sure you aren’t doing it wrong by following our blog and signing up for our newsletter. Or, if you’re in too deep, contact us. We can help you get a handle on your social media!