How Not to Ruin Your Reputation

Social Media "Gurus" have thrown out some tremendous statistics illustrating how everyone needs to embrace social media in order to succeed. As a result, one business after another is jumping on the social media boat and drifting away into the unknown. For those lost at sea, here is a disaster aversion plan that might help you save face. (And by the way, these are all things your mother told you.)

LESSON #1: Stop Trying To Be Edgy (Mind Your Manners)
Acting out your frat boy fantasies is not going to help you with social media marketing. Just because one risqué iPhone app did well with the masses doesn't mean your saucy approach is a good idea. You need to remember that you are dealing with a diverse group of people in Social Media Land, approximately half of which are women.

Women deserve respect, which should be a part of our upbringing. If you've reached adulthood and you still think you can get away with offending women, you have missed some important lessons. For now, suffice it to say that they are very active in the social media/app world.

Pepsi, a billion-dollar company, just pulled out its "AMP Up Before You Score" app. Let this be a lesson to you: don't kill your marketing apps on the altar of "edginess."
Pepsi Model:
iPhone App Development: $100,000
Marketing "Gurus" Who Approved It: 250,000
Cost of Damage to Brand Image: Priceless!

LESSON #2: Don't Go There...
There are some brand suicide areas you need to avoid. No matter what your Guru is telling you, stay away from PRRGNS = Politics, Religion, Race, Gender, Nationality, Sexuality. These topics have always been a house of pain, and can quickly throw things severely out of your control. Remember, brand building and controversy usually don't go hand in hand. Once damage is done by commenting on one of these forbidden topics, there is usually nothing you can say or do to make it better.

LESSON #3: The Thumper Rule
For those of you who need remedial Disney, this means, "If you can't say something nice...don't say anything at all." Personal attacks and negativity will always make you look like a child, so resist the urge to go Ape Shitake (Thanks, Guy) on someone. Take time to think before you type. Twitter and Facebook are not going to shut down in the next five minutes, so please relax and clear your mind before responding with negativity. Going code red on every comment you receive is only going to increase the risk of untimely death for you.

LESSON #4: Don't Give In to Peer Pressure
Just because you have a friend or competitor engaging in various types of social media, that doesn't mean you need to jump in. The important question is: Do you have something to say?
Answer = YES: Go ahead...Make my day. Start tweeting right now!
Answer = NO: Please get back to working on real world things, like improving your business to a level at which you do have something to say. Once you establish how you are different from everyone else, guess what? You will be ready to join the social media revolution.

LESSON #5: Don't Waste Your Time!
Don't you have some real work to do? Twitter and Facebook can be good tools, but put some limits on the time you spend there. Tweeting and Facebooking away your entire day makes your personal and professional life suffer. Your time is valuable - make sure you are allocating your time where it counts the most, and not getting wrapped up in endless social media spirals.