OMG’s Not To Do List

Trust me when I say this.

You would prefer to be on Santa Claus’ Naughty List then to be on my OMG NotToDo List.

And just how does one find themselves on Oregon Marketing Group’s NotToDo List.

It happens anytime I am on social media and I mutter to myself – OMG. In this case, that means Oh My Goodness.

To be quite honest, it surprises me what business owners think is OK to post on social media sites.

And if you are wondering if you made my OMG NotToDo list, just ask yourself if you have committed any of the following Oregon Marketing Group social media mistakes.

1. Too Much Information. There is a reason each of us have a best friend or a wife or a husband or even a dog. They are the people you should tell things to like how painful it was to have a prostate exam or mammogram. They are the ones you confess your personal and when I say personal I mean not that you have cancer or a heart disease but other personal health information to. It’s not OK to ask on Facebook the best hemorrhoid cream or share about a birth control scare or how you are trying to get pregnant. And if you are wondering if I have read any of the above on social media, let’s just say yes and that’s not the worst of what I have read.
2. He’s such a jerk or she’s such an emotional mess. When I do business with someone, I want to keep it professional. I don’t want to hear about the latest person you dated and then broke up with or what your ex did to make you mad. Or anything else about your love life unless it’s said in a polite way that won’t cause me or you or anyone else to be embarrassed. It’s OK to share you are getting married. Not OK to share you are dating yet another guy or girl.
3. As a business owner, you should never, ever talk on social media about your business’ finances. If your business is struggling financially, if you are worried about keeping it open or if clients haven’t paid you what you are owed, discuss this with your banker, lawyer or accountant. Do not under any circumstances whine on social media about bills or money. Why? The minute you do you lose customers. Would you spend money at a business you are concerned may not be open the next day?
4. Do not trash talk about your customers, your competitors or anyone else. There is a high school basketball coach who tells his players that when they walk onto the court to assume the referees are going to make bad calls. And he tells them not to complain. To just play their game because that’s the only thing they can control. As a business owner, you can assume correctly so that some people are going to be major jerks, or rude or horrible to deal with. By trashing talking them or causing a fuss, it only makes you look bad. Stick to your game and be true to who you.
5. What a great party!!!!!! It astounds me beyond words when people post pictures of themselves completely and utterly drunk. Or pictures of all the wine bottles they have finished off at a party or pictures of them with a couple empty glasses in front of them. What you do on your own time is your own time. Don’t however think it is good public relations for your business for your clients to see you drunk. As a business owner, the most valuable thing you own is your word and your reputation. What you may not think is a big deal to post on social media may not be to you or a few of your close friends. Trust me when I say this. What I have seen posted on social medial sites has made me not want to work with some businesses. If you have read my list and checked it twice to see that you have done some of these things that I consider not so nice for your business, then here’s what you need to do. If you can, delete what you posted. Yes I know it’s still out there somewhere where someone can see it.  And most importantly, make a pledge not to commit any of my five NoToDo list items.