5 Social Networking Errors Businesses Should Avoid

 You are a small business. You sell products or services that I'm interested in and I'm ready to become your best customer!  And then I notice a few things and look for someone else in your field.  Even if you have customer service down to a science, there are things that make me walk away.

1.  Do not load your feed with political or religious posts.  It's okay to have an opinion, and even to share it occasionally in a respectful manner, but remember you are talking to your customers and many of them may not share your views.

2. Do not badmouth a customer.  Ever. Seriously, other customers are reading this and wondering what you are saying about them.  Is it worth a two sentence rant to lose even a small percentage of your business?

3.  Do not complain or whine or gripe about your lack of sales.  When I see that, I just assume that everyone else knows something I don't and join them in steering clear of you.  While we're on the subject, don't post sob stories about why I have to buy something from you because you need the money so badly.  We all need money to get by in this world. If your kid needs braces and you whine about how much you need to sell because of that, you may just remind me that my kid needs braces too, so I should save my money.

4.  Do not write a blog post about how to sell the stuff you don't like, at your top price, to a group of people that you consider less important than your real clients.  You think I'm joking?  I've seen this!  Some of us treat every single customer with the same respect and work hard to give them our top products. Customers do know the difference.

5.  Do not make me try to decipher what you are saying.   DO use proper English, and check your spelling and grammar. Also,  I don't want to see how many swear words you know, or how many creative ways you can use them.  If you can't shout it in a room full of grandmas, don't say it online.

Your name is inextricably connected to your business, so even if you post these things on your personal pages your customers know, and despite what you may think, they probably care.  Stay positive and respectful, it  makes the difference between success and failure.

Featured Friday

Featured Friday

Cool Handmade Stuff From Artists I Admire

Happy Friday!  There are now 16 shopping days til Christmas ~ and just a week left to make sure online orders reach you in time!   

I know I always have at least one guy on my list who is really hard to find a gift for ~ I think I just found an awesome solution!  Bath products from PlunkSoap.  Pair this great bar of stud soap with a bacon flavored lip balm for a perfect guy gift.  Bacon lip balm, I'm still laughing!

Need something special for anyone in the office?  Boss, secretary?  I love the stained glass business card holders from MoreThanColors!

 I hope we are all shopping at small, local and/or artisan businesses this year.  Big box stores will not care if you spend $100.00 with them, but that same $100.00 could mean everything to a small business. And you get the benefit of better customer service and more meaningful gifts!

Thanks for taking a peak at these great shops ~ and check back next Friday for more fun handmade finds!

Featured Friday

Featured Friday

Cool Handmade Stuff From Artists I admire

Because we have officially hit the single biggest Holiday shopping day of the year, I thought I would take a more relaxed approach and share some beautiful ornaments I've found.  Fabulous gifts for even the most difficult to buy for person on your list or something you will treasure year after year as you decorate your tree.

These beautiful snowflake ornaments are from TimberGreenWoods on Etsy.  Not only are these gorgeous little works of art, but this business goes to amazing lengths to be environmentally friendly.  From sustainable farming, to recycled packaging - they do it all! 

This ornament from WolfArtGlass on Etsy is stunning and elegant!  Made from recycled glass with a retro design, I can see this being a cherished addition to any one's Holiday decorations! This shop also uses environmentally friendly packaging, renewable wind energy and recycled glass. 

Thanks for checking out these great shops with me today!  Come back next Friday for more fun, handmade finds!  

Today's Featured Friday also happens to be Black Friday ~ so I would just like to say, whether you choose to shop on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, or any other day between now and Christmas (or any other day of the year); please consider the importance of shopping at small, locally owned and artisan businesses.  These are your friends and neighbors and the people who put their heart and soul into making your treasures. They are also the businesses that volunteer in the local community, donate to local charities and youth groups, and let you put your signs in their windows and your donation cans on their counters.  These businesses are run by people instead of corporations, they focus on customers more than bottom lines, and they care about the environment.  You just don't get that kind of heart from the big box stores.  Happy Holidays!