9 Ways to Fail at Social Media

Whether it’s yesterday’s speech by the President admitting, “We fumbled the rollout on this healthcare law” or the White House prediction that taxes will hit a record $29,673 for every full-time worker in 2014, there’s a lot to talk about online.

Well-meaning, passionate conservatives across the U.S. energetically post, retweet, and share in an effort to express themselves and convince others.

But are we all effective? Are we successfully communicating our views, forging connections, and changing minds?

I argue that conservatives can do better.

With this in mind, I’ve compiled a list of the top 9 things NOT to do on social media.

You’re failing online if you:

1. Underestimate the power of a single tweet.
2. Talk about politics and only politics.
3. Don’t engage with followers.
4. Practice blatant self-promotion.
5. Only vent.
6. Tweet at 3am when your audience isn’t awake to read it.
7. Only talk about how much you love Ronald Reagan.
8. Use the hashtags no one else is using (#badidea).
9. Post inconsistently.

Instead, to succeed online:

1. Learn from the mistakes of others.
2. Talk about a variety of interests: politics, your family, hometown, pop culture.
3. Conduct a dialogue, not a monologue. Listen. Ask questions. Reply. Respond.
4. Use the 70/30 rule.
5. Discuss what’s wrong but point to positive action. Also remember: wit and humor often connect with people in a powerful way.
6. Utilize free tools to space tweets and analyze how your posts are doing. If a tweet is sent at 3am and no one is around to read it, does it make a sound?
7. Be relevant. Inspirational quotes have their place, but strive to add more value than reminiscing about better times.
8. Use #tcot and other trending topics to become a voice in developing stories.
9. Be consistent. If you’re running out of things to say, post: links to blogs, cool articles, and upcoming events, questions, quotes, pictures, infographics, stats, retweets on Twitter, shares on Facebook, replies to individual users, and your unique comments on current events.

P.S. Connect with me on Twitter at @nedryun and tell American Majority how we can help your group succeed online!