I’ve always believed that there’s no one right way to use social media. Use it however you want, and if your followers respond well, then keep doing whatever works for you. However, I do believe there are wrong ways to use social media. In particular, being a spammer is a wrong way to use social media.

Unfortunately, some people don’t even realize they’re social media spammers. They genuinely think they’re doing a good job of connecting with their target audience and building their brand.

So, how can you tell if you’re a social media spammer? Here are 5 warning signs.

1. Everything you post is self-promotional—Take a look back at the last 10 things you posted. Of those, how many of them are self-promotional in nature? If everything you post is basically an ad for your products or services, you’re going to have a hard time building any meaningful relationships with your audience. Instead, everyone is going to view you as a social media spammer.
2. All links that you share point back to your website—Sharing useful, entertaining links is always a good idea. It’s also okay to share links to your blog and various pages on your website. However, not every link you post should be pointed back to your website. There’s great content all over the web. Find interesting content on other websites, and share that too.
3. You have multiple profiles on each social media site—Are you one of those people who has 5 different Twitter profiles, all Tweeting out content promoting your company? If so, you’re probably a social media spammer.
4. You use a program to autofollow others—You see this a lot on Twitter. People use certain programs that connect to their profile and automatically start following people. You can always spot these spammers because they’ll be following tens of thousands of people. They’ve convinced themselves that quantity is more important than quality when it comes to networking.
5. There’s no real interaction—Social media is based on interaction. Whether you’re on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, or any other social media outlet, the whole point is to interact with others. You build relationships by having meaningful interaction and great conversations. If there’s no true interaction taking place, you’re probably a spammer.

What are some other signs that one might be a social media spammer?

A new study by NM Incite has uncovered the numerous reasons that Facebook users decide to remove friends. This information is important for anyone trying to build a strong community on Facebook. By understanding the reasons people delete friends, you can take steps to prevent yourself from becoming a casualty in one of your fans’ friend cleanup sprees.

According to the study, the top reasons people remove friends on Facebook are as follows:

• Offensive comments
• Don’t know well
• Sales messages
• Depressing comments
• Lack of interaction
• Political comments
• Breakup/divorce
• Don’t like them
• Update profile too often
• Add too many people
• Don’t update often enough

When you boil all of this down, it really is about the quality of the content you share with your audience and the level of engagement you create. If you’re sharing content your audience has no interest in or you’re constantly bombarding them with advertisements for your products and services, they’re eventually going to delete you.

Likewise, if you don’t interact with your fans and start building meaningful relationships with them, they’re going to delete you because the “don’t know you well” and there’s a “lack of interaction.”

I highly recommend you take the time to read more about this study, and use that information as a guide when building your Facebook presence.

What are your thoughts about the findings of this study?

Think you can just create a Facebook page and instantly attract a captive audience? Think again. Building a strong community on Facebook takes a lot of work. It also requires constant maintenance. Just because you have a strong community today doesn’t mean that you’ll still have one in a month from now.

What can you do to start building a better community on Facebook? Here are 5 tips to get you headed in the right direction.

1. Don’t hide the negative—The great thing about social media is that everyone gets a voice. The consumer has equal opportunity to speak as the big company. Of course, this means that your customers might occasionally have negative things to say about your brand. They might post complaints on your wall, and your first reaction might be to panic and hide the negative feedback. Don’t. As soon as you start censoring your customers, you’re going to lose them. Rather than shying away from the negative feedback, tackle it head on and be proactive in trying to create solutions.
2. Don’t be a spammer—Nobody is connecting with you on Facebook because they want you to advertise to them all day every day. In a recent study, 39% of respondents said they removed friends on Facebook because they were always trying to sell them something. Keep the sales messages to a minimum lest others think you’re a spammer, and instead, focus on starting discussions with your fans.
3. Mix up your link sources—There’s nothing wrong with using Facebook to drive traffic to your website or blog, but you need to mix things up. Every link you share shouldn’t be pointed back to your website. Mix things up to keep it interesting. The web is full of interesting content that your audience will love. Find this content and share it.
4. Promote your Facebook page everywhere you can—Just because you have a Facebook page doesn’t mean people will find you. Building a community requires work on your part. You need to promote your page everywhere you can. Link to it on your website, your blog, your emails, your other social media accounts, etc.
5. Create content that appeals to the interests of your target audience—What is your target audience really interested in? What kind of content appeals to them? What kind of content do they tend to “like” and share with their friends? That’s the kind of content you need to be creating.

What tips would you add to this list?

I’ve started to get a lot pickier when deciding who to follow on Twitter. I’m tired of my feed being littered with nonsensical updates that I have no interest in. That’s why I’ve come up with a quick list of points that determine whether or not I’ll follow someone.

Here are 5 reasons I choose not to follow certain people on Twitter.

1. They’re clearly a spammer—Twitter is plagued by spammers, and I’m not just talking about the obvious bot accounts. There are plenty of real humans out there using Twitter in a way that I feel is very spammy. It’s usually pretty obvious to spot the spammers. They follow tens of thousands of people, and their Tweets are typically promotional in nature.
2. They don’t share anything of value—I could probably sum up the whole list with this one statement. Quality is really what it all boils down to. If the person doesn’t Tweet anything that I find interesting, useful, or entertaining, why should I follow them?
3. They clog my stream—We’ve all come across this person on Twitter—the incessant Tweeter. If I’m following a few hundred people, there’s no reason that one person should be clogging up 95% of my Twitter feed. Posting dozens of times each hour is just too much for me to handle, so I won’t follow someone who does this.
4. We don’t share the same interests—Social networking is about connecting and interacting with people that share your common interests. In my case, I follow people on Twitter who are interested in a range of topics: marketing, SEO, sports, entertainment, local news, etc. If someone is Tweeting about a topic I have no interest in (say, gardening), there’s no reason for me to follow them.
5. They refuse to engage in conversation—If someone isn’t going to be “social” on a social networking platform, there’s no reason for me to follow them. I connect with people on Twitter because I genuinely care about their opinions, and I expect to be able to interact with them in some form or fashion. I understand that you can’t expect to have a conversation with a major celebrity on Twitter, but they have to at least put forth an effort to interact rather than just Tweet a bunch of one-way, promotional messages.

What are some of your reasons for not following someone on Twitter?

According to a recent report from Bain & Company, customers who engage with companies over social media spend 20 percent to 40 percent more money with those companies than other customers. They also demonstrate a deeper emotional commitment to the companies, granting them an average 33 points higher Net Promoter® score (NPS®), a common measure of customer loyalty.

With that in mind, here are 7 ways you can increase engagement over Twitter.

1. Retweet others—Whenever you Retweet someone, it shows that your company is paying attention to the conversation. It lets your followers know that you’re interested in more than just sending out one-way, promotional Tweets. Furthermore, it will catch the attention of the individual who you Retweet, which can help you build a relationship with that person.
2. Thank followers for Retweets—It’s one of the simplest things you can do, but it goes a long way to showing followers that you’re grateful for their support. Any time someone Retweets you, take a moment to thank them. It just takes a second, so there’s no good reason not to do it.
3. Ask open-ended questions—Initiate the conversation with your followers by asking open-ended questions. You can ask anything from customer opinions on your products and services to your followers’ thoughts on a popular TV show or sporting event. The goal is to start a conversation so you can increase engagement and strengthen your relationships.
4. Take part in at least one conversation daily—Make it a point to take part in at least one meaningful conversation on Twitter each day. You might not have a ton of time to Tweet, but this is a good way to make sure you’re doing something of value each time you use Twitter.
5. Give props to your great followers—You don’t have to wait until Follow Friday to spotlight your best followers. Give them props from time to time. Tell others to follow them, and Retweet interesting content that your followers post.
6. Tweet photos and videos—Tweeting pictures and videos adds more personality to your company’s Twitter profile. It lets your followers get to know you on a deeper level, adding more authenticity and boosting engagement. Tout is a cool tool for sharing short video updates.
7. Share useful, interesting content—Above all else, you have to share content that your followers actually care about. If your Tweets suck, you won’t be able to engage with your followers. It’s really that simple.

What are some of your best tips for increasing engagement on Twitter? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment. 

The line between personal and professional lives has been blurred greatly thanks to social media. Many of my friends use the same Facebook and Twitter accounts to communicate with both their close friends and their clients. They believe that mixing everything together and just being who they are is more authentic, thus helping to build deeper relationships with clients and colleagues.

But while that might work for some people, I prefer to keep my personal and professional social networking accounts separate. It’s not that I’m hiding who I am or being a phony with my clients and colleagues, but I just think there’s a danger that comes with being too authentic.

The way I have it setup right now, I use Twitter and LinkedIn for all professional social media communications and Facebook for my personal social networking.

Why do I keep them apart?

• I don’t like censoring myself—My Facebook page is where I can relax and say whatever I want. If I want to post a picture of myself being a drunk idiot, I can do it without having to worry about looking unprofessional and damaging my brand. If I want to post my opinion about a sensitive subject (e.g. religion, politics, etc.), I can do it without risking my business.
• I don’t want to annoy my friends by posting work-related content—Let’s be honest. My friends and family don’t really care all that much about my professional life. They don’t want to see status updates with marketing and copywriting tips or links to business-related articles that I find interesting. They just don’t care about that, and if I clog their feed with that type of stuff, they’ll get annoyed with me. It’s two different audiences, so they require two different types of content.
• It’s just healthy to have a distinction in your life—Working from home, it can be very difficult to create a line between my personal and work lives. But I learned long ago that it’s something you have to do. It’s not healthy to let your work consume your life. You need to do your best to keep the two separated from each other so you can maintain your sanity.

Do you have separate social networking accounts for personal and professional purposes?

Facebook is a great way for companies to stay connected with their customers, build stronger relationships, increase their visibility, and improve their customer service. Of course, like every relationship, customer relationships can occasionally hit rocky patches, leading to anger and resentment. In the world of Facebook, this could lead to angry customers posting harsh things on your Wall.

So, what can you do when an angry Facebook fan attacks?

• Always respond quickly—You can’t ignore a post from an angry fan. It will only make them even more upset. You have to respond, and you have to do so in a timely manner. As soon as a complaint is posted to your Wall, try to respond to the customer to let them know you’re sorry for any problems they might be facing and that you want to resolve things.
• Don’t get overly defensive—You’re close to your products, services, employees, etc. So, it’s only natural to get a little defensive when a customer attacks, but you have to take a step back and try to see things through that customer’s eyes. Never be defensive. It makes you look petty, guilty, and unsympathetic.
• Take the conversation out of the public eye—Don’t go back and forth with the customer right there on your Facebook Wall for everyone to see. Let the customer know that you’ll be sending them a private message so you can work things out.
• After resolution, consider asking for post removal—If you’re able to come to a peaceful resolution with the customer, you can consider asking them privately if they would be willing to remove their initial angry Wall post now that everything is okay. In most cases, the customer will oblige.
• If post isn’t removed, respond positively about the resolution—If the customer doesn’t remove the post or you’re just not comfortable asking for them to do so, you need to at least respond publicly on the post saying that you’re happy you were able to come to a good resolution. This shows the public that you take all complaints seriously and are committed to keeping customers happy.

Have you ever had an angry Facebook fan post on your wall? How’d you handle it?

Let me start by saying that this isn’t one of those posts meant to bash social media marketing. I’m not someone who believes that Tweeting and Facebook-ing is always a total waste of time for companies. I think social media is very important, isn’t a passing fad, and offers an incredible opportunity for companies to connect with their customers, improve customer loyalty, improve the quality of their products and services through user feedback, and generate more sales.

However, I do believe that a lot of companies are wasting a lot of time and money on their social media marketing. Look, there are a million ways to skin a cat properly, but there are also millions of ways to do it wrong.

Whether you manage your own social media activities or you’ve hired a marketing company to do it for you, it’s important that you regularly take a step back and analyze the effectiveness of your social media marketing efforts. Are you achieving your goals? Hell, do you even have any goals, or are you just doing this because it’s what everyone else is doing?

Simply put, if you don’t see any measurable gains from social media marketing, you’re wasting time. If your goal is to make more sales, and you haven’t seen an increase in sales from your Twitter and Facebook efforts, you’ve been wasting time and money, and you need to think about tweaking your strategy.

If your goal is to improve customer retention by building better relationships through social media, you need to be tracking your customer retention rates and verifying that they really are improving. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time and money.

The point is simple. Grade your social media marketing campaign on a regular basis to ensure you’re heading in the right direction and getting the best possible return on your investment.

Chances are, your customers use Twitter. And that means there’s a chance they could Tweet about an experience they’ve had with your company. Sometimes, that might mean that they’re Tweeting something negative about your company, complaining about your products or services.

How should you handle complaints on Twitter? Here are a few quick and easy tips to guide your responses to customer complaints on Twitter.

1. Respond in a timely manner—Twitter is a fast-moving platform. If you don’t stay on top of the conversation, it can spiral out of control. Responding quickly shows customers that you’re actually paying attention to them. It shows them that you really do care, and that can go a long way to resolving a dispute.
2. Communicate as a person, not a company—Social media is a really personal medium. People want to feel like they’re actually dealing with a real person, not some faceless company. Be personable, and try to connect with the customer on a personal level.
3. Take the conversation elsewhere when necessary—Sometimes, you’re not going to be able to resolve the dispute within the confines of 140 characters. In cases like this, get the customer’s contact info so you can shoot them an email or give them a call.

What are some of your tips for responding to angry customers on Twitter? Share them by leaving a comment.

Social media marketing was the buzzword of 2010 for small businesses, musicians, large corporations…you name it. Chances are, your business jumped on the social media bandwagon and has been feverishly Tweeting, posting Facebook status updates, uploading YouTube videos, connecting with clients on LinkedIn, blogging, and making your presence felt in any other social media space you can find.

But did you know there’s such a thing as too much social media marketing? There’s effective use of social media for building your brand, and then there’s overkill. And that happens when you spread yourself too thin across the social media landscape.

How can you make sure you’re not spreading yourself too thin?

• Have clearly defined goals—What do you want to get from your social media marketing campaign? More sales? More leads? Better customer loyalty? Improved brand perception? Identify your goals and make sure that everything you do is designed to help you reach them.
• Only go where your audience goes—It’s doubtful that the core of your audience maintains a strong active presence on more than a few social media sites. Identify the handful of sites where your target audience is most active and focus only on those. Everything else is a waste of your time and energy.
• Track your results—At the end of the day, the only way to determine if your social media marketing efforts are paying off is to track your results. One thing you can do is look at your website’s analytics to see where you’re getting the highest quality traffic from. You can also pay attention to which social media platforms are giving you the highest level of engagement with your audience and the most useful information. Any social media space that isn’t providing results should be dropped.

Be honest. Are you spread too thin on social media?