As social media marketing continues to explode into the B2B segment, mistakes are becoming harder to avoid.
I often write tips or give instructions on what you should be doing when it comes to industrial marketing, but every now and then it’s equally important to provide some pointers on what not to do.
It’s undeniable – B2B marketers continue to embrace social media marketing. While it may not be as popular among B2B folks as their B2C counterparts, more and more companies are getting with the times.
Unfortunately, as the number of social media accounts grow among industrial manufacturers, so too does the number of poorly-executed social media accounts.
As a result, I wanted to share with you 5 tips to help avoid social media disasters, from tweeting an odd (to say the least) Pearl Harbor reference to the ultimate disaster – having your entire account hacked like Burger King did.
These are compliments of Heidi Cohen’s actionable marketing guide:
- Provide social media training and guidelines to your employees. This is particularly important if you empower workers to participate on social media representing your firm. (BTW–Here’s help if your social media goes bad.)
- Consider the implications of your social media content. Bear in mind that social media platforms deliver your message globally and instantaneously. Therefore take the time to assess how others may interpret your message from different backgrounds and perspectives.
- Use strong security to protect posting accounts. The word “password” (or any other word for that matter) isn’t a secure login password. Nor is writing the password on a post-it note stuck to your monitor. Ensure that your social media and management team are trained to engage on social media and that there’s a way to transfer control for your corporate accounts in the case of a security breach.
- Don’t take advantage of a crisis to push products or agenda. An event where people are hurt isn’t the time or place to try to insert your promotion. If you’re not in a position to help, keep quiet.
- Avoid the trolls. Assume that a segment of social media participants spend their time waiting for you to send a wrong message. They’re ready to respond and fan the social media flames. Therefore, if you make a mistake, correct it as soon as possible in polite terms. Don’t add fuel to the PR fire.
Photo credit: Dave_B_
