Social media is one of the most important tools for promoting your small business and building relationships with customers. However, it also has the potential to destroy reputations and can even lead to legal problems. Taking steps to protect your interests is crucial when using social media for business purposes. Here are five common mistakes you need to avoid.

1.Creating a Sales Platform

Social media users want to engage with businesses, but they don’t want to be bombarded with advertisements and promotional content. If you continually post marketing messages, expect your followers or fans to quickly desert you. Social media should be used to create long-term relationships with customers and potential customers. It should never be used as a sales platform.

2.Arguing With Disgruntled Customers

Disgruntled and angry customers often take to social media to complain about products and services that fall short of their expectations. While it may be tempting to deny or try to minimize customer complaints, this can make customers feel that their concerns are not being taken seriously. Small issues can easily become major problems that lead to negative publicity. Encourage unhappy customers to contact your company away from social media, as it’s almost always best to resolve the situation through direct communication, such as telephone calls, letters or email.

3.Getting Involved With Politics

Politics has divided people on social media, particularly in recent years, causing passionate arguments and public disagreements that can quickly escalate. Your customer base is likely to contain people holding a wide range of beliefs, which means that you risk upsetting valued customers every time you discuss your political views. Unless politics is an essential part of your business or marketing strategy, it’s usually wise to stay out of political conversations.