Infuriating Social Media Practices Your Customers Might Hate

It’s 2019 already and even though offline shopping is recommended, most of us would still prefer online shopping, including me. It’s so easy. All we have to do is activate the internet, browse the internet and find things we want to buy – as simple as that. We all can’t deny the influence of the internet. Even offline shopping still needs things that come from the internet. Why? That’s because we are living in a world where social media and everything on the internet are the tools to increase brand awareness. When I am looking for something, I often find it on social media first. I know the way people find things on the internet may vary, but social media is most likely the place where you will find things faster than searching through search engines. Having more than billions of active users, social media is the ideal place for business promotions. For that reason, many business owners set up their business social media profiles to reach as many people as possible, especially their target audience.

As someone who buys and knows stuff through social media, I’m pretty sure I have seen many online shops or businesses on social media and even got the time to do some research on them. I’m not researching them just so I could make my own business. I’m doing that so I can find the right stuff I really want to buy. However, during my time exploring social media to find the right stuff for me to buy (as well as the reviews), I found things that I consider ‘not professional’ that got me like, “Seriously?”

Yes, I’m talking about their social media marketing strategy. At first, I was curious, but then I got irritated. Want to know why? Behold, these are the most infuriating social media practices that you should never do for your business.

Making it private

I know we all have our own privacy. Some of us lock our Instagram account, so only our friends and family that can see our posts. Well, that only works for personal Instagram account – totally different from a business profile! The other day, I was looking for a skincare serum and I saw this online shop on Instagram. I clicked on the username and I was immediately greeted by the annoying lock icon stating that the said account is private. This, to me, is obvious that this is some kind of poor marketing strategy anyone could ever apply on social media. I got to admit, I might buy things from online shops on social media, but I won’t follow some (but not all) online shop accounts because it’s simply boring and not engaging enough with me as a customer. It turns out, those business accounts making their account private so that people will follow them, not just gathering information and leaving. However, a business should provide information to their customers and their potential customers. One thing you should never do on social media as a business is doing exactly the same as what a personal account would do. You are on social media for a reason; to reach as many people as possible especially your target audience. How can you do that properly if your account is private? And I hate that kind of cunning strategy. If your buyers don’t follow you on social media despite the fact that they are already buying from you, think again. Your account may not be qualified enough to be followed. That’s harsh, but it’s true.

Endlessly spamming

Oh, I hate this one too. Ever seen something like, “Thanks, Kim for recommending this online shop @cheapshopblabla to me, their product is amazing!” in one of celebs’ comment sections? If you have seen one, you were probably seeing some cheap online shops claiming that ‘Kim Kardashian just bought their products’. I know businesses nowadays hire social media influencers or celebrities to promote their products and I appreciate that they are willing to spend their money for the sake of ROI. What about those cheap businesses that spread lies and false claims because they don’t want to spend a dime on it? Cutting corners on your budget is one thing, but spreading lies so you could cut the budget? All the more reason not to trust the business.

The shady giveaway

We all love online shop giveaways. We only need to do their requirements and if we are lucky, we will get the prize. The requirements usually include mention our friends in the comment section. That’s still acceptable. However, there is an online shop that once held a giveaway event with one shady requirement out of all requirements that got me so irritated. The online shop said in one of their Instagram stories, “Follow the owner’s Instagram account and spam-like her photos.” When I saw that, I was like, “What? What are you trying to achieve by doing this, girl?” Trying to reach many people for business purpose is natural and acceptable, but trying to get followers for your own personal social media account? That’s one cheap way to get audience, for personal purposes. When you are making efforts for your business, you should only focus on your business. I saw a friend of mine building her own skincare business, while her personal account only has 1,300 followers and private, her business social media account reaches 51,000 followers. Needless to say, that’s what we call professional.

Social media may be a better place for you to promote your business. However, just like almost everything in this world, there are things you should and should not do, especially on social media. If you have a business, keep it professional. If you provide information, keep it simple and fun but informative and useful at the same time.