3 Tips for Avoiding the Unlike/Unfollow

Unlike, unfriend, unfollow.  Three words that no social marketer wants to hear, but ones that are difficult to avoid.  Let’s face it; our attention spans are not what they used to be.  That fact, combined with the hundreds and hundreds of content producers competing for your audience’s attention, means most businesses are on thin ice with their followership.  With that in mind, let’s explore a few of the primary causes for unfollowing or unliking a page, and how to avoid them without becoming a social hermit.

Don't Be Too Boring: This seems obvious, but publishing boring, uninteresting, monotonous content is the most popular reason for being unfriended on Facebook.  Two important questions to keep in mind here are: “What is the goal of my online social activity?” and “How is the content I’m posting helping me accomplish this goal?”  You can’t please everybody with all of your content, but if there is no consistency between what you post and what you hope to get out of being online, then you will have both a small audience and nothing to show for it.  Before you post, think from the perspective of your ideal customer: What message would be relevant to them? What type of content do they normally like, share, or comment on?

Don't Over-Self-Promote: Social media is a great outlet for promoting your company’s successes.  However, marketers must be careful to not pat themselves on the back too much.  The Marketing Tech Blog cites self-promotion as the second most common reason people unfollow on Twitter.  Retweeting too much praise from followers, constantly highlighting industry awards, and posting information that would only be interesting to those within your company are all ways to drive followers away.  Each of these is fine to a degree, but moderation is essential.

Don't Be Too Spammy: Although similar to “too much self-promotion,” “spammy” posts deserve their own attention.  If your posts read like a robot wrote them, or if your timeline is littered with webinar registration links, people are going to run for the hills.   Auto-replies can be useful in certain situations, but unless you are completely inundated with mentions and wall posts, a personal message should be sent to those engaging with your pages.

While it is absolutely true that quality trumps quantity in regards to a company’s followership, why not have both? It can only serve to extend your brand’s reach.  Keep these three ideas at the forefront of your mind whenever you are about to publish a post, and you should see your brand keep more and more followers, rather than losing them to the countless other brands vying for their attention.