We all know the value of social media in the world of today – and we’re not talking about keeping up-to-date on the wonderful lives of One Direction. Although of course, they know more than anyone how important marketing a brand can be across the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

And that’s exactly what we are talking about. Social media has become more important than ever in the last few years, to the point where 81% of small and medium-sized businesses use social channels. But you do have to be careful. Whilst Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry, and Louis may be posting their way to the top of the charts, the likes of Home Depot and Tesco have had less success.

Tesco’s scheduling around the horsemeat scandal made them look, well, a bit of an ass following this tweet…

Whilst Home Depot accidentally opted for a little casual racism…

These are of course at the more extreme end of tweets gone wrong, but on a day-to-day basis, there’s plenty more to avoid alongside racism and horsey puns.

Ignore your audience

Firstly, the cardinal sin – ignoring your audience. Audi did this much to the annoyance of their Facebook followers. Their #PaidMyDues campaign asked fans to post their real-life triumphs over adversity. Audi proceeded to post images of people making salads and staring meaningfully out of shot, to which the response wasn’t exactly “vorsprung durch technik”.

It’s important for any brand to interact with its audience, whether that’s liking a follower’s post, replying to queries, or even responding to criticism.

Delete negative comments

Deleting that criticism is possibly the worst thing you could do. Acknowledging a problem will not only keep a customer onside, but it can also avoid a PR disaster later. Resolving an issue will show your followers that customer satisfaction is of utmost importance.

Your transparency will be endearing to customers and will improve your reputation as a brand no end.

Connect with everyone

But whilst it’s important to respond to negative comments, it doesn’t mean you should respond to every post or follow someone simply because they follow you.

Think of how a follower may reflect your business. For example, a brand selling children’s clothing shouldn’t follow a man who is pictured with a firearm. Pick your followers carefully. Who can represent your business? Who can become a brand ambassador?

This also applies to retweets. Just because a consumer is asking for a RT, it’s not your prerogative to do so. The recent duping of Donald Trump says all you need to know about that, following his sharing of a Fred and Rose West image to his 2.7million followers.

Talk about yourself all the time

In the real world there’s nothing worse than someone being ‘me, me, me’. And the same applies online. The 4-1-1 rule is a good method to live by.

Consisting of 66% of new, fresh, and entertaining content, 16% retweets, and 16% self-serving tweets, it keeps your feed both engaging and promoting your brand – albeit a little subtler.

Like your own posts

Whereas there’s nothing less subtle than liking your own posts. It’s the equivalent of a comedian laughing at his own jokes, it’s just self-centred. It impresses nobody. You’d think it was a given, but you’d be surprised by how many brands make the mistake.

#Forgetpointlesshashtags

Hashtags are an integral part of Twitter and Facebook, they collate an audience and essentially help your exposure. But that doesn’t mean every other word should include one. It’ll make your post look spammy and also lose a lot of authority.

Also, check your hashtags. During the Casey Anthony trial which shook the world, on verdict day, donut and cake manufacturer tweeted rather untimely…

Needless to say, the hashtag didn’t win them any fans that day.

Don’t leave your accounts to rot

But perhaps most importantly, don’t let your accounts gather dust. Social media is not a fad; it’s the best way to engage with millions of people instantly. An account, whether that be Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram, without any content, is a lifeless being. Uncared for. And if you’re not caring for a social account you’ve supposedly committed to, what does it say for the rest of your business?