Written by Howard Fenton
Senior Technology Consultant
NAPL
Ever since companies gained the ability to create web pages and engage in social media the thinking has been, “The more (you update) the better.” But that is not what the latest research shows. A recent study by emarketer.com on November 27, 2012, said that too many updates was the number 1 reason that followers ended a relationship with a company using social media.
According to the study:
• 33% said they discontinued following a company because of too many updates.
• 22% said that the brand’s value and or content was different from the original perception.
• 19% said that they didn’t see the value in remaining connected.
A report on mediabistro.com looked specifically at why people unfollowed companies on Twitter. This report was based on data from an Econsultancy survey, which found:
#1 – the worst offense was companies that were too noisy at 52%.
#2 – the 2nd reason was too much shameless self-promotion at 48%.
#3 – too much spam at 47%.
#4 – not interesting enough at 43%.
#5 – too much repetition at 29%.
What are the take-home messages? To use a Goldilocks and the Three Bears analogy it sounds like you don’t want your porridge to be too hot or too cold but just right. In other words, you want your social media postings to:
1. Be frequent but not too frequent (2-3 times/week),
2. Be relevant and interesting but not too controversial,
3. Maintain a consistent voice about the value of the brand, regardless of who’s posting, and
4. Be subtle in self-promoting perhaps using successful case histories.
What’s your experience? Have you discovered why companies unfollow you?
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:
- Stop, Look, and Listen: Social Listening with your customers
- To Tweet or not to Tweet? Are You Old of New School?
- Are Online Ads Less Effective Than TV and Print Ads?
- Personalized Video: The Next Media in New Media
- QR Codes: More Than Just Shortcuts
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Howard Fenton is a consultant and business advisor at NAPL. Howie advises commercial printers and in-plants on benchmarking performance against industry leaders, increasing productivity through workflow management, adding and integrating new digital services, and adding value through customer research.
