Are you really marketing with your social media activites or are you just spamming? Many people think that they are using social media as a part of their marketing mix when in reality they are just spamming. Here are a few clues or rules to help you recognize if you are spamming instead of marketing and then some thoughts on how to change.
1. Do you always include links with your tweets or status updates? Although there are certainly times when links are appropriate you should not always include a link. Make some of your updates with no links. You always want to make sure that when you do include a link it is appropriate to the update. Examples of this include: a link to a blog post, a link to sign up for an event you are talking about, a link to a free report or ebook, or in general anything that is relevant to the topic of your update. You also want to avoid linking to the same website every time.
2. Do you post links on group walls or on the walls of friends before you have even had a chance to get to know the person or without also offering value to the group? The best way to post links on Facebook or other similar sites is at the end of a note or a useful group post. You can also post them on your wall from time to time but be careful that you do not overdo it.
3. Do you ask questions and contribute to conversations? Social Media is a communication and relationship building tool and it must be used as such.
4. Could your updates or posts been seen in any way as trying to sell without offering value? The golden rule of social media is that you must offer value first and then sell second. You cannot just try to sell without giving your audience any content, value or reason why they should care.
5. Do you always come across as trying to advertise? I heard on a teleseminar a few months ago from some six figure social media coaches that 1 in 10 tweets should be some kind of ad. I think this is a good rule of thumb. Once in a while it is normal and expected but be careful.
6. Are you offering value with every piece of content you post? This is crucial. Your content must not look like an ad. The best way to ensure this is to write a note, a blog post or an article or record a video offering useful tips and ideas and then to include a call to action with your website at the end of the video or written piece.
Follow these rules and your social media will be spam free, your relationships will grow and people will appreciate you more.
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Comments
Good rules all of us should follow.
Good article! I enjoy your work and would respect your opinion on mine as well. Keep up the great work!
Well put. Thanks for the tips.
Is number 4 true all the time, especially for commodities? Dell, who loves to boast all the upside revenue they get from Twitter, blasts pure sales messages like "Save $400 on xxx laptop through Friday." HP also puts pure money-savings promotions on Twitter. I hear marketing consultants constantly admonish the "no selling" advice, but it works for many vendors, especially tech.
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