Top 5 Ways Social Media Can Hurt Your Business

With the world embracing social media at its current pace, businesses have accepted the power that these social networks can create. From engaging new clients to increasing their brand's awareness, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are the top three favorite platforms to have by your side. And social media isn't standing still, not by a long shot, especially in the job market. Two years ago, hiring a social media director was unheard of, training your employees on proper Twitter-etiquette wasn't required, and establishing rules of what's allowed on your employee's Facebook page was never a challenge for HR, until now. And even after all the rules have been established and the major social media platforms have been harnessed to convey your company's message, service, or point of view, you can still hurt your business if you don't have a strong strategic plan in place to carry out your message.

Here are 5 ways misusing social media can hurt your business.

1. Having the wrong person in charge of your social media can hurt your business. Now that you've jump on the Twitter bandwagon, who will be your Twitter guru? As easy and effortless as it seems, there should always be a plan and reason behind who will be running your social media platforms. That individual must grasp your company's point of view and have a clear understanding of what should be published and what's considered inappropriate. Many businesses have gotten in trouble because they hire interns to run their networking sites only to find out weeks later, they now have severe damage control ahead of them. No matter who you put in charge of your networks, make it a point to follow their progress and check in with them.

2.Your brand not being represented appropriately can hurt your business. If your company helps animal rights, yet your social media guru on Twitter keeps putting out twitpics of your employees in furs, or whale-hunting; there's a conflict of interest occurring. Your social media strategy plan should clearly outline what your brand stands for and how you want it to be conveyed on the networking sites. Your brand has a voice, a tone, and successful brands carry that into their social media. Don't be afraid to engage with your followers, friends or subscribers, it means your doing something right if your voice is being embraced by the masses.

3. If you're not using the RIGHT social media platforms effectively -- your business might look like it's disconnected from it's social media plan. Establishing a YouTube channel with no original content--only videos that you've "favorited" or rated (and even those videos aren't locked-in to your company's message) makes your business look amateurish. Remember, this isn't your personal YouTube channel, it's your company's. Figure out what message you're trying to communicate on each platform and push it through. If you're on Twitter and don't engage, you're missing out on huge opportunities to draw in new clients and customers. And keep in mind, "being social" is a major part of the game, in fact, it is the game.

4. Using your social media platforms as a sounding board for bad days and deals-gone-wrong is not the way to go. You just had a long day, or just got out of a torturous meeting, what do you do now, tweet about it? Wrong! Social Media, especially in business, was not meant for complainers, it's just not professional. Imagine doing business with someone and encountering their social media sites only to discover you're the subject of all their complaints. Or you were referred a great company for your next deal and you visit their Facebook page to find all their status updates are bad-mouthing their business partners or employees; it's bad business and it might lead you to loosing clients and potential customers--very quickly. Don't be labeled as a "complainer" on your business platforms.

5. Don't use social media to bash your competition. This doesn't work in real life and it won't work in your social media platforms. Working the networking sites with this type of ideology will soon create a negative opinion of your company and brand and keep in mind that no message can travel around the world faster than on social media sites. Think twice about what you'll say about your competition and make sure it's in your strategy plan so there's no confusion about it.

Social media, no matter if used in business or personal life, should be accompanied by a strong plan to help you execute your message. If hiring outside consultants, ask the right questions, see the work they've done for others, and make sure to get a specific plan tailor-made specifically for your company's niche. And remember, if done correctly, it can benefit you and your business, but in the wrong hands along with a bad strategy, can cause damaging effects labeling you the "un"social media business.