Something a little bit different for everyone out there. Normally marketing experts are full of do’s and tips on how to gain followers and get your company or brand message out in to the big bad world of social media… I am going to tell you how companies lose their followers and what makes people switch off. I really don’t want this to be a negative article but more of a reminder that social platforms are not purely for broadcast, they are for conversation and engagement — Don’t sell, story tell!

Information provided by Sproutsocial (2016)

Too many promotions

By this we do not necessarily mean give-aways or incentivising engagement. The biggest reason users and your potential customers and followers turn off and ‘unfollow’ you and your brand is distributing sales pitches. Twitter is not a distribution channel. Facebook is not a distribution channel. Instagram is not a distribution channel. These and many more platforms have a massive reach, but you must cultivate, produce and tell compelling stories. Document the journey of your business and brand. People can relate products and services to times in their lives, whether that is where they are, where they’ve been, or where they want to be.

Jargon, jibberish and tech terms

There is always a place for using technical terms and jargon, but go lightly on them. Just because you and the other experts in your field understand the language you speak, you want your reach to be wider than that core group. Jibberish is a lovely British term for slang and nonsense. I know every company wants to stay in touch with the ‘kids’ and the millennials, but please think twice about using terms like ‘snatched’ or ‘bae’… Instead choose a communications style that not only makes sense, but helps build a consistent brand message.

No personality

Retweet, share, retweet… Not only does this do nothing for your brand and message, it adds zero context to the conversations you may feel passionately about. Almost every platform out there gives you the option to add your own thoughts on the matter, so take the 30secs and bring your own opinion/thoughts to the fore. It is very important to define your brand and purpose, and from there, build your social media and content strategy. How can your audience align with your business, if your message and brand isn’t clear?

LOL…Not so much

Remember that teacher who tried to too hard to be funny?! Of course humour is a must, but just don’t force it in order to gain traction with the world. To prove this statement, I would like to draw your attention to the meme below —

Not replying to messages

Although it’s surprising this grievance didn’t rank higher in the survey, it is still a turn off for around a quarter of consumers. Social platforms are meant for interaction, and so regardless of how busy you are, it is great way to discuss, engage and delight customers and potential clients. Social media platforms are only going to get bigger, with more and more users, so it is imperative that your brand and company become more interactive.

Provide your audience with contextually relevant, entertaining content, and they are more likely to trust and buy from you.

Are there any other reasons you would switch off? Let me know!