This is the 7 Deadly Sins of Social Media.  In case you can’t remember they are: gluttony, sloth, anger, greed, pride, lust, envy.

Gluttony is overindulgence of media.  A solid marketing campaign recognizes limited resources and seeks to maximize the use of those resources.  You can not be in every media all the time.  Find what social media works for you and your customers.  Be willing to experiment until you get it right.  I tell every client that in general it’s good to have a blog.  However, if they do not supply quality content at least 3 times a week, it hurts more than it helps.  The same is true for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.  Discover 2-3 mediums which consistently are successful for your industry.

Sloth relates to your ability to stay on top of all social media and listen to the marketplace.  Are you monitoring the blogs and other social media?  Do you actively engage the online community to manage your brand image?  Your customers and more important, your competitors are talking about you online, you must have a system in place to listen and respond.  You must listen and react with the marketplace.

Anger is the effect of not taking social media seriously.  This is the perfect opportunity to develop an open conversation directly with your customer.  If you listen and pay attention, they will tell you exactly what they like, and espically what they dislike about your product.  Instead of an attitude about your comment box, use these comments to modify the brand image making it more appealing to the marketplace.  After problems are fixed, if complaints continue to grow then maybe it’s the community trying to let you know you’re marketing to the wrong market. 

Greed occurs when a social media campaign fails to put the community first.  A company can not expect to always be selling the customer.  Social media is more about involvement than inventory and a brand must determine the different benefits each media provides.  For example Twitter is perfect for up-to-date information for an event but a Facebook Fanpage Campaign would be better to prepare attendees months in advance.

Pride, narcissism, self-promotion, no matter the media you must have a balanced discussion.  People want to see your company cares about others, especially the community.  Consider partnering with a local charity and supporting their cause or mention your biggest fans next time you blog.  There are countless ways to advertise your company, social media is a way to involve your company thereby evolving with your market.  In the long run your business will benefit with greater presence and increased sales.

Lusting after profits in the short term compromises your brand.  Yes the economy is bad and every business is affected, but those who sacrifice their brand for immediate gratification will be remembered.  Good business is mutually beneficial.  Your customers should receive what they need at a fair price no matter the economy and your business should always run slim.  Jack Welch, well respected CEO of GE used to fire the bottom 5% of the company every year to stay slim.  Now, GE is the 4th most recognized brand worth approximately $50 billion.

Envy is the green-eyed monster in the room for almost every business owner or manager.  If you are successful or felt confident enough to start your own corporation then you have a competitive spirit.  It is this competitiveness which makes successful people after they have learned to harness it’s power.  You must take objective approaches to your own marketing plan and not compare it with another’s.  Each brand is unique therefore each business is unique.  If you are busy worrying about what your competitor has (other than market share) then focus in not on you’re unique selling points.