In June 2018, photographer-cum-influencer Daryl Aiden Yeow was called out for plagiarising photography content. Having been shamed for committing one of the most serious social media sins, Yeow withdrew from social media entirely.
While Coconuts Singapore has noted that Yeow recently made a comeback in September 2018, the incident still left a black mark on his online reputation as media reports about the scandal still rank high on Google.
Yeow was not the only influencer who felt the heat last year in 2018 because of controversial social media content. Numerous other international and local influencers on social media have found themselves in hot water for contentious articles online.
Social Media Today
Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know that social media has blown up in recent years. It is a powerful tool that many e-commerce platforms have been using to expand their brand awareness. However, there are some big no-nos in social that could deteriorate your brand image. Sadly, people are committing social media sins on a daily basis without even realizing!
We all know how your online reputation is critical to ensuring that you keep online traffic coming and your brand image intact. One single mistake on social media can easily cause your rep to plummet.
While everyone makes mistakes, tiny errors could actually cause your online reputation to go down the drain. This is especially true in today’s world where reviews matter, your online reputation hinges largely on the type of social media content you produce.
If you are looking for a way to avoid making these social media sins, then you’re in luck. Because we have observed some of the most common and detrimental social media sins and narrowed them down just for you! It’s a new year – so be sure to avoid these huge no-no’s to ensure you start the year right.
Here are 7 of the worst but most common social media mistakes made by big brands.
1. Hard-Selling
First and foremost, nobody likes to be pressured and pushed into buying something. This applies to both offline and online shopping.
Companies that pressure their customers into buying their products could experience a reverse effect where their customers get put off by their pushy sales techniques. According to Larry G. Maguire, hard-selling also indicates that a business does not understand its customers. This social media sin can also get offensive and you could lose customers!
Keep your marketing tactics subtle and friendly.
2. Shaming Your Competition
Second, shaming your competition is a big no-no.
You might have heard Chinese proverbs about how empty vessels make that loudest noise and that insecurity speaks louder than confidence – likewise, bashing your competitors on social media could make your company appear unprofessional and aloof. It could also affect your customer engagement and brand image.
Avoid throwing shade at your competitors – instead, allocate more effort to showcase how your company and products can be of use to your followers.
3. Using (too many) Stock Photographs
Third, using an excessive number of stock pictures could also affect the way your brand is portrayed on social media.
Relying too heavily on stock imagery could make your company come off as unoriginal, unimaginative and unprofessional. It hinders you from showing off a more humane side of your company. Your followers and new users want to see what your company has to offer and who are the humans who built it. Not a random guy from Shutterstock like the one above.
Post original pictures as much as possible. Edit them to enhance the colours and features of the picture to make them look more professional. Alternatively, hire a professional photographer to take the pictures for you.
4. Forgetting Your Customers
Fourth, forgetting to respond to your followers across your social media platforms could also cause your online reputation to slump. It shows that you do not value your customers and their opinions. This is detrimental for your customer engagement campaign – especially if your followers are complaining or giving you negative feedback.
Dealing with negative comments while maintaining a sense of professionalism can be surprisingly challenging. Luckily for you, we have a helpful guide that can help you craft the best responses and timely feedback to appease angry customers and maintain your online reputation.
5. Mushy Content
Fifth, avoid posting overly sentimental or triggering content on your social media platforms. Oversharing intimate content about how grateful your company is for the business last month could come off as desperate and overdramatic.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with thanking your followers or raising awareness. Just make sure you keep the text short and sweet. Don’t post anything about your feelings or inner-most thoughts. Always be professional, even when showing gratitude for your customers’ loyalty.
Keep the emotional wordings for your own personal social media pages.
6. Overusing Photoshop
Many celebrities and influencers including entrepreneur-personality Kim Kardashian have been called out for editing their pictures. Photoshop may enhance your social media pictures, but overdoing it could incur backlashes from your followers.
When editing images, try to stay as true to the original image as possible. After all, providing accurate imagery will help improve your company’s credibility.
7. Airing Dirty Laundry
Seventh, avoid airing your colleague’s dirty laundry.
First of all, no one really cares if the colleague in question is not famous. And we are not being harsh – but we are just being real. Next, airing your colleagues’ private and personal is just plain rude. Sharing too many intimate details about your staff’s personal lives might portray your company’s culture as one which is gossipy and superficial.
There is a fine line between personal anecdotes and business-appropriate content. Hence, make sure that you post only professional content which helps to solidify your online reputation.
Social Media Sins: On the Internet Forever
Finally, one mistake could cause your online reputation to flop entirely. Always remember that everything you post on the internet stays there forever. It would be strategic to always keep your brand and goals in mind to craft engaging social media posts.
Coming up with content for your social media is difficult. Furthermore, helping your brand stand out might require more creative juices than usual. Get some inspiration for your social media content by clicking here.
When we talk about social media, one other aspect you should consider incorporating in your campaigns is influencer marketing. Find out who the leading influencers in Singapore are by clicking here.
