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6 Social Media Mistakes Your Company Should Avoid

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Making mistakes isn't necessarily a bad thing. First off, you always learn more from a 'not-so-great' moment. In fact, chances are that if you've ever made a mistake you're highly unlikely to repeat it. Second, you don't have to make your own mistakes to learn from what you should or shouldn't do. You can learn from other peoples' mistakes too. Looking at mishaps that others have made can teach you what pitfalsl to avoid and how to circumvent similar situations.

Social media has put a spotlight on mistakes and makes them  available for the entire world to see. When those trip-ups come from recognizable companies and big brands they can become glaring examples that the rest of us need to learn from. Here's a run down on social media mishaps that your company should refrain from making:

1. Stale Content

The Internet is a gigantic growing web of information and if you're not regularly contributing to it then you're missing out on opportunities to connect with interested people. It's important to post fresh and original content on a regular basis. Without it, your fans and followers may wonder where you've disappeared to and venture off to graze in greener pastures. The trick with content is to understand how much or how little you should post. Take the time to learn about what your audience wants and then get ready to update, share and engage.

2. Combing Business And Personal Accounts

A major no-no is meshing professional and personal social media accounts with one another. Keep the highlights of your Las Vegas weekend between you and your friends, not you and your clients. If you're considering social media to promote your business brand make sure to create separate profiles on each platform.

3. Little To No Monitoring

Awhile back some hackers cracked into Amazon.com and caused all books written by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) authors to disappear. Needless to say, many people were infuriated and they took to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to voice their frustration and upset. This included creating a hashtag on Twitter that was used to funnel the disgust directed toward Amazon. Because Amazon hadn't reacted quickly enough people believed that they deliberately removed GLBT materials from their site. Lesson learned - make sure to monitor what's being said about your brand and company routinely.

4. Cloning Strategies

Each social media site has a unique following. Getting to know and understand who the audience is and what they like is what will help you shape your social media strategy. A cookie cutter approach is not the way to go. What works on Digg probably won't work on StumbleUpon and what works on Reddit won't necessarily work on Mixx. Tailor your strategy to each platform before you implement.

5. Inexperienced Representatives

One of the more recent social media firestorms occurred between Nestle and Greenpeace in early 2010 on their Facebook Pages. Supporters of Greenpeace staged a protest against Nestle for using palm oil from deforested areas in Indonesia. Unfortunately, Nestle's social media team demonstrated a lack of tact, maturity and professionalism by posting glib and sarcastic remarks. The defensive exchange spun out of control. Whomever you choose to serve as the social media mouthpiece for your company should be a trained professional that recognizes one of the golden rules - you don't insult your customers.

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6. Illegitimate Friending

In September 2009, restaurant chain T.G.I. Friday's launched its 'Woody' social media marketing campaign. They used a supposed out-of-work actor who claimed that he was the biggest T.G.I. Friday fan and that if he could get 500,00 people to fan his Facebook Page then T.G.I. Friday would give away a free burger to each person who fanned him. What people didn't know was that Woody wasn't a real person and that the challenge wasn't an actual cause. People felt betrayed and outraged when they learned the truth. On this same note, don't run out and attempt to acquire fans in mass. It appears spammy and fake. Take time to get to know your followers and cultivate relationships with them that will be long lasting.

Do you have any other corporate social media mistakes or stories that you'd like to share? Post below. We'd love to hear from you.

Top 10 Branding Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

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To most people branding conjures up images of logos and corporate colors, but it's actually much more than that. By business definition, branding is simply the creation of an identifiable entity that makes a promise of value. Let's face it, today's marketplace is a crowded place and being able to distinguish and stand out is no easy feat. Understanding what the right and wrong way to carry out brand management will make a big difference in the success of your business and  its image.

1. Logo Misconceptions

Too often, businesses focus solely on the graphic design and creative elements of a logo instead of positioning, buyer psychology and alignment with company objectives. Start thinking about your logo analytically and establish a plan on how to connect customer insights with your brand promise.

2. Being Everything to Everyone

It is impossible to appeal to every individual. Instead, focus on a niche market that you can tailor your brand to. Gaining the trust of a targeted audience will help strengthen your brand appeal and reputation.

3. Trying to Be Different

Differentiating your brand just for the sake of being different isn't going to increase sales. Don't use gimmicks to make the brand stand out, promote actual benefits for your customers that the competition can't offer.

4. Lack of Commitment

Some companies place brand management in the hands of a marketing department so that they can concentrate on other operational aspects. Branding is an integral part of all departments within a company and preserving brand uniformity and integrity prevents it from becoming diluted.

5. Missing a Marketing Plan

Failure to plan is planning to fail. Traditional marketing isn't delivering results like it used to. The game has changed and if you want to promote your brand you need to do it online. Slapping a profile up on Facebook and calling it good isn't marketing. Consider hiring a professional who is adept at providing social media marketing services.

6. Customer Disconnect

Not knowing who your brand's customers are can lead to disaster. Engage in customer dialogue, learn their wants, uncover their needs and continually evolve to meet the changing demands of the market place and become a better company overall.

7. Unconscious Neglect

Ultimately, businesses want their brands to succeed, but they aren't necessarily doing much to strengthen or enhance them. Awareness of brand perception is critical to its longevity. Sometimes this requires coordinating with a third-party market research firm to investigate what consumers really think. Use the feedback to refocus your brand direction.

8. Too Much Change Too Often

Brands should evolve, not change. Businesses that are continually shifting their position may end up causing more harm than they realize. Spending the time to conduct solid research will help get things right the first time.

9. Not Tracking the Brand

If someone reaches out to your business for assistance, whether it's through email or phone call, finding out how they learned about the brand and why they've contacted you will help drive future brand marketing efforts.Perhaps you have a TV commercials that's driving customers your way. That's important to know so that you can expand and continue reproducing good results.

10. Forgetting to Research

This really ties in to a majority of the branding mistakes that have been listed above. Research the competition, your customer, your market place and your business model carefully. Knowing what your brand is up against and how to properly position it can save you from headache and frustration down the road. Knowledge is power and the more that you understand about your market, the easier it will be be to succeed when you enter it.