Don’t go there! Top 5 Things You Should Not Tweet About

Twitter is a commanding social media tool to help engage with customers and build brand affinity and advocates for your company. There are many tools that allow you to listen to others’ tweets and follow-up accordingly with relevant, timely information. Remember that Twitter—like all social media platforms—is a place for genuine conversation.

Because Twitter moves at such a fast pace, it’s important to be mindful about the timing and context of your tweets. Here is a list of the top five types of tweets you absolutely should not send out.

1. Irrelevant information. Try to stick with information relevant to your company and your industry. Avoid at all costs information that is completely irrelevant. For example, unless you are somehow related to politics, weather and other current events, do not speak about these topics just for the sake of building followers. It is inappropriate and will not benefit you to do so. Make sure that you are only tweeting about information that you are an expert on. Remember, Twitter is a place for you to establish yourself as an industry expert.
2. Badmouthing competition. Don’t ever tweet bad things about your competition directly. Doing so will only make you appear bad to your customers, potential clients and industry. It is important, however, to listen to what others are tweeting about when it comes to your competition, though. If someone tweets about a bad experience with your competition, do not mention them in any correspondence with that person. Instead, you may want to follow them or offer up a service or product-based solution.
3. False information or hearsay. If you aren’t absolutely sure about information, avoid it completely. For instance, don’t guess about product releases or any information that is hearsay. Consider each and every tweet as a quasi-contract between you and your clients. Do not say anything you aren’t willing to back up later. Keep in mind that anything tweeted or direct messaged on twitter can come back to bite you unless you are 100% sure about its validity.
4. Bad customers. If you are going to say anything about your customers on Twitter, it should be nothing but positive. Even if you are being badmouthed on Twitter by a disgruntled customer or former employee, it’s important to not mention it. You may reach out to that person and say, “I’m sorry you’re having issues, please direct message me with your contact information and I’d be happy to help.” This way, you publicly show that you are willing to help them. However, after that, you should not publicly mention that individual again.
5. Private or personal information. Never tweet information about employees, earnings, etc. that you have not already distributed publicly. It’s best to avoid these altogether. Remember that what you tweet about can be used against you and you should always be mindful of what you say and respond to. This is true of both tweets and direct messages.

Again, Twitter is one of the most powerful tools companies have to communicate directly with their customers and potential clients. It is a great space to establish your company as an industry leader and knowledge expert on the subject of your products and services. It is not, however, a place to badmouth the competition and tweet nonsense. It is important to maintain your credibility in a social media space, just as it would be in a press conference. This is why it is crucial to keep track of your tweets and make sure that designated representatives of your company are trained on what is and what is not appropriate to say online. Are you interested in using Twitter and other social media venues to build affinity with your company or organization?

Tags: social media, things not to tweet, tweet, Twitter

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