Whether you wear the “social media manager” label loud and proud – or you’re a secret Twitter ninja working your magic while you juggle the rest of your to-do list, sometimes staying awesome 24/7 can be a bit of a tough grind.

Believe me – I know!

So that’s why I’m putting some of the worst social media management bloopers out there for you below – take a close read and make sure that you definitely steer clear of these!

1. Don’t just jump onto to any old trend

Keeping an eye on trends is great. They tell you what’s hot right now – and what your audience might be into, which is brilliant, right?

But just like any other trend – they tend to be pretty short lived. And in the world of social media – where a dodgy tweet can last forever – the last thing you want is a permanent reminder of that social media fail moment!

So don’t just jump onto any random trend that’s making the headlines. Tune into the ones that are relevant to you and your audience, and reap the benefits!

2. Don’t ditch the analytics

I know I go on and on about how important building relationships is when it comes to social media.

And I’ll still stand by it now. Building relationships and showing that you add value to your audience is absolutely key to succeeding as a social media manager!

But. I’ve seen a few people suggest that this makes all those boring stats and analytics totally redundant. If it’s all about how you make your audience feel, those hilarious memes and totally on-point GIFS you send out – then why bother wading through the numbers?

The reality is that number crunching matters. Those are the details that tell you how well you’re performing, and let you measure the success of your campaigns.

Which makes them pretty damn important!

3. Don’t go on auto-pilot

Tools that help you post scheduled content are really helpful. They’re great for getting out that first tweet at the start of the day when you’re still waiting for your caffeine fix to kick in, or making sure all your carefully written blog posts go out as planned.

But don’t make this your habit for all of your social media activities. Spontaneity matters!

Switching off and going on auto pilot can create some really negative impressions when it’s overused.

You might end up making a total SNAFU if you happen to send out something that’s just made the headlines in the worst possible way. Take a look at this pretty horrendous tweet sent out by an Ontario radio station.

Scheduling all your posts also means you’re less likely to check in on comments and feedback – and you might miss out on something vital in the conversation.

So strike a balance. Use scheduling tools for a small number of posts when necessary – but always make sure to review them daily, and keep the rest of your content fresh!

4. Negative feedback? Don’t run and hide

Hey. Negative feedback happens.

It’s a fact of business. While we don’t necessarily like it, none of us are perfect – and we eventually get called out on our mistakes and shortcomings.

But whatever it is, one of the worst things you can do on social media is to simply ignore it. Or hide. Or delete your account and hope it all dies down.

Doing that will only stoke the flames of negativity! Instead, face up – apologise or take the appropriate action, and it’ll be much easier to wipe the slate clean.

5. Don’t overshare.

If you’re running your business Twitter feed or Facebook page, remember that this is not the place for your venting about your personal life, posting what you had for lunch, going on about how bored you are at work or daydreaming about your next holiday.

Unless, of course, this stuff is directly relevant to your business.

While it’s great to see that a business, and the people behind it, are more than just two-dimensional drones, you should still aim to keep all content relevant in some way. You could very easily end up making an apparently trivial comment, that could alienate your customers.

6. Know your stuff!”

Hopefully, you haven’t lumbered some poor college student intern as the social media manager of your business.

If you have – then here’s something to bear in mind. They’re unlikely to actually know anything about your business. That means if a customer asks them a detailed question about a product, they’re unlikely to be able to respond.

Which can make you look pretty foolish.

So make sure you give a knowledgeable response to your audience. Remember that social media isn’t all about double tapping posts or sharing funny videos! (Although they rock, too.)

7. Don’t be a bully

In the virtual world, as in real life, it can be easy to lose your temper.

That really annoying customer who just left the nastiest feedback ever? Or that blogger who comes out with snarky comments whenever you post?

Yeah. It can be pretty tempting to fire back with an extremely personal response.

Don’t.

Step back instead and cool down. While it might be temporarily satisfying, you could potentially be doing serious damage to your brand – especially if the story behind your spat isn’t clear. And this might not just turn off your existing customers – it could ward away potential ones, too!

8. Don’t be a salesman

Lastly – don’t be that annoying brand that only ever posts when you’ve got a promotion or offer on, or somehow manages to turn every single matter into something about how great they are.

Not only is it a major bore to see post after post about your great products – but it also shows that you don’t really care all that much about what audience cares about, what they’re interested in – or anything else that doesn’t have you at the centre of the universe, basically.

While there’s nothing wrong with promoting what you do – make sure you do it strategically. And don’t do it 24/7! Mix it up with other content that your audience is going to find valuable.

If any of these sound kind of familiar to you – then now’s the time to take action! Not sure on what you need to do? Give me a shout!