I have been working and experimenting with social media for some time now. It is not a full time occupation for me therefore I have to merge it with my other activities in a “controlled” fashion.
I have talked with several experts, some of which I know very well, and I have tried to gather as much information as possible that could be relevant to running a small business or any kind of activity.
These are the top six mistakes that I have been committing from time to time and that I have seen other people commit.
- Being impersonal. My long journalistic background keeps coming up and I tend to write in the detached, neutral fashion that is often required by traditional media. Business owners that come from traditional fields often do the same. This absolutely doesn’t work in social media. It doesn’t mean that you should be talking only about petty personal issues, but it is much easier to connect and relate with others if you are just yourself, telling your story.
- Using social media as a selling channel. I keep hearing people asking me: “How do you monetize Facebook, how do you monetize Twitter?” And they mean using these channels to pitch products and solicit business. Well you simply can’t. Social media is the place where you make yourself known, where you show what you know and how you can contribute. Business comes as a natural consequence and has to be promoted on other channels (like your company site, your private e-mail, Skype, and so on).
- Getting somebody else to write stuff for you. I have heard many people that have been using virtual assistants to take care of their social media accounts. They all claimed to have saved a lot of time with a little investment of money. I have tried it for a short while myself and I have seen that my popularity declined immediately. Also I was losing touch with what was really going on. You simply cannot outsource your voice and your eyes.
- Not being consistent. Relationships and brands take some work to build. It doesn’t need to be long, but it does need to be constant. If you keep showing up and you are pretty much consistent with what you say or do, you will make progress.
- Listening only. The era of the few writers serving many readers is fading away with the change in the media scenario. Some interaction is now necessary in order to establish any kind of relationship. You don’t need to be original if you cannot be: you can always repeat the content of others provided they are of interest to you and others like you.
- Believing you have got it taped. The web and social media constantly change. What worked yesterday could be a no-no today. Be always alert to shifts in habits. Usually other people will bring them to your attention by complaining about something you have done. It has happened to me several times on Twitter. As soon as I got 4 or 5 people complaining about something that I was doing I checked into it and I discovered pretty soon that it was no more acceptable. It is better to do less, but flowing with the trend, rather than making a lot of action in the wrong direction.
I regularly gather advices from people that I consider expert in a field, but then I adapt what they say to my needs and personality. There are no “ready-made” systems for the Web as far as I know.
Roberto Mazzoni
P.S. P.S. If you want to know more about professional blogging and social media I suggest you join the Third Tribe project, launched by Brian Clark and Darren Rowse, to leaders in the blogging industry. I am a member of it and it is very innovative and quite inexpensive. Check it out clicking here (it is my affiliate link).
Tags: "new business ideas", "new business tips", "Roberto Mazzoni", "social networking", Internet Marketing, Twitter
Great post. These six mistakes are useful to anyone who wants to be part of the genuine conversation taking place in social media. MJ
RT @robertomazzoni: What are the top six mistakes in social media for me http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
I’d like to read more about social media mistakes, so I can avoid it. keep it coming! Thanks for the post. @marklatimer
RT @robertomazzoni: Mistake number 4: Not being consistent http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: Social media mistake number 6: Believing you have got it taped http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: Social media mistake number 3: getting somebody else to write stuff for you http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: These are the top six mistakes that I have been committing and that I have seen other people commit http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: These are the top six mistakes that I have been committing and that I have seen other people commit http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
Robert, I’ve been handling the social media for our company, New England Multimedia, since the beginning of the year. Each of your 6 tips is spot-on. I started out just sharing information constantly (the “See? I know stuff!” syndrome), then started being myself (taking risks), then started listening (“Hey, you’re interesting!”), then started talking to others (“I like what you said and want to get to know you better!”).
It’s unbelievable the difference social media has made in the life of our company since I learned that it’s called SOCIAL for a reason! We’re building a lot of reciprocal relationships. Networking at its finest.
~Michelle Quillin for New England Multimedia and Q Web Consulting
RT @robertomazzoni: Mistake number one: not being personal http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: Social media mistake number 3: getting somebody else to write stuff for you http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: These are the top six mistakes that I have been committing and that I have seen other people commit http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
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RT @robertomazzoni: Social media mistake number 6: Believing you have got it taped http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
@robertomazzoni thank you! I read it, very useful.
RT @robertomazzoni: Social media mistake number 3: getting somebody else to write stuff for you http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: Social media mistake number 3: getting somebody else to write stuff for you http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
Robert, I read an excellent post yesterday by a successful marketer who ranted about a traditional media company who is now selling social media campaigns — Mistake Number 3, “Getting somebody else to write stuff for you.”
I wrote a post in reply, stating that I completely agree, but with one caveat: If the “hired gun” has these ten qualities (plus any more you can think of), it could work — http://bit.ly/Social4Hire
What do you think? I’d love your input.
Michelle Quillin for New England Multimedia and Q web Consulting
@robertomazzoni: I commented your blog post re: Social media mistake number 3. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Great post, thank you!
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Michelle, I have read you post and I will comment on it directly on your blog. You have point when you talk about companies and their social media activities, since they often do need somebody who talks for them and very few presidents of CEO’s are willing or able to do it. But I believe it is a weaker position than a direct talk from those who have founded or are running the company.
Roberto,
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the 10 Things to look for if you MUST hire someone to do your social media for you!
Michelle Quillin for New England Multimedia and Q Web Consulting
http://twitter.com/nemultimedia
RT @robertomazzoni: These are the top six mistakes that I have been committing and that I have seen other people commit http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: These are the top six mistakes that I have been committing and that I have seen other people commit http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
@robertomazzoni I disagree. You can have someone else write . Approve topic and copy before posting; get a report as often as you wish.
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RT @robertomazzoni: Social media mistake number 5: Listening only http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: Social media mistake number 6: Believing you have got it taped http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: These are the top six mistakes that I have been committing and that I have seen other people commit http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: These are the top six mistakes that I have been committing and that I have seen other people commit http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
@robertomazzoni Great post on common mistakes w/social media. Thanks!
RT @robertomazzoni: Mistake number one: not being personal http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
@robertomazzoni そうでしょうか…？
RT @robertomazzoni: Social media mistake number 5: Listening only http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...
RT @robertomazzoni: Social media mistake number 5: Listening only http://www.robertomazzoni.com/business-t...