How Brands Annoy Customers on Social Media

 

Brands have a problem on social media: Many people think they’re annoying.

Too many promotions, pitiful attempts at humor and slang, and failing to respond to queries or criticism all irritate consumers and provoke them to unfollow brands.

It doesn’t have to be that way: 86% of consumers want to and do follow brands on social media according to the new Q3 Sprout Social Index. However, they want relevant content. They don’t want to be bombarded with sales messages or to view contrived, “cringe-worthy” posts. Social blunders cause lost sales opportunities: 57% of people are more likely to buy from a brand they follow, and 75% have purchased something because they saw it on social media.

Social Media Survey Highlights

Some of the highlights from the survey of more than 1,000 Facebook, Twitter and Instagram users include:

• 46% of people will unfollow a brand that posts too many promotions.
• 32% are annoyed when a brand tries to be funny when they are clearly not.
• 38% find brands using slang to be irritating — common when brands targeting younger consumers try to be cool.
• 34% of people find a lack of personality equally annoying.
• 25% of people are annoyed when companies don’t respond to them.

People follow brands because they are interested in their products or services, promotions and incentives, and because they want a two-way conversation with the brand, indicating that customer service is a priority. Customers quickly change their minds due to too many promotions, lack of relevant content and lack of response.

How to Keep Your Followers

Marketers can keep followers by curating thoughtful third-party content, sharing more user-generated content, participating in co-marketing opportunities or engaging your communities with interactive quizzes and contests, the Sprout Social report advises.

Customers appreciate when brands educate them with substantive, non-promotional information that makes them better-informed consumers. This is especially true among B2B decision-makers.

“Instead of bombarding social feeds with stock images or forced copy, do the work: Identify your brand values, collect data, identify audiences and target your content accordingly,” Sprout Social urges. “Additionally, pull together guidelines that steer clear of over-played phrases and stay true to your brand’s personality.”

“Social media has moved beyond the solely promotional platform it once was,” said Scott Brandt, CMO of Sprout Social, in a press release. “This report makes it is clear that the stakes are higher and any brand that hasn’t adapted to meet expectations isn’t just going to lose their audience, they’re risking a decline in their marketplace perception and sales.”

Don’t Stress Promotions over Customer Care

Stephan Delbos, editor and content manager at the social customer service blog Brand Embassy, agreed that too many brands irritate customers by emphasizing promotions over customer care. Companies exasperate customers when they refer them to FAQ pages instead of directly answering their questions, force them to jump between social platforms for answers, and generally treat people impersonally. Not responding at all is probably the worse offense.

“Unfortunately, it’s not enough to simply respond to questions and comments that come to you directly,” Delbos says. “You need to listen in on the conversations that are taking place online, and be proactive about getting into the conversation when your brand is mentioned.”

He urges companies to monitor social media for mentions of their brands and join conversations related to their product or service. “It’s one of the best ways to get new customers and to keep your current customers happy,” he concludes.

Bottom Line: Brands annoy their customers on social media surprisingly often. Too many promotions, forced attempts at humor and slang, and unresponsiveness all harm the business. Irritated consumers simply unfollow the brand, prompting a loss of relationships and potential future sales.