Yes. Spamming people is a big no-no. There’s no shortage of ways to annoy so-called “friends” on Facebook. Some people tend to overshare, reporting every meal they’ve eaten or weather condition they’ve experienced. It’s easy for business owners to fall into the same category when they send out tons of notices about events or invitations related to their business.
Determining what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable is not always easy with social networking, primarily because the rules are still being written and people use the sites for different reasons. Lines blur. You should be passionate about your business and personal life. Offering a glimpse of what makes you you, can have business benefits – like strengthening relationships. People like to do business with people they like.
It’s cool to offer an interesting link from a trade publication that moved you. But even then, the key is sending it out only to people who would most likely care. It’s OK to send out a quick note or business related question to your entire network if it’s relevant to a lot of people – or at least won’t be considered a nuisance.
Facebook offers a feature that allows you to create a group for a business concern. But it defeats the purpose when you invite everyone in your network to join. They’re designed as a gathering place to discuss common interests. People can only take so much time from their day. So before you start typing away, ask yourself whether anyone is likely to care about your comment – especially if it involves religion or politics.
Cindy Earl, a business marketing and publicity expert, said what she considers spam -or a nuisance- is when small business owners create events like tele-seminars or workshops specifically to promote their business, and then proceed to invite every single one of their Facebook friends. “It’s a problem because it can be perceived as spam by some of your “friends’ who may have no interest in your topic or event. I see itevery day and it can get quite annoying if you get a lot of these invitations every day. In fact, you risk being “de-friended” and losing the relationships you’ve been trying so hard to build with people online,” she said.
The president of Corner Your Market Cleveland, is a firm believer in getting people’s permission before you market to them. She equates it to adding someone to your e-mail list without their permission. “It’s completely unacceptable… Hitting people over the head with your message is the old way of marketing,” she said.
