I was passing through a Facebook page recently and a particular post caught my attention ‘This page is not your billboard’. I wondered what had sparked this comment. It wasn’t too long before I found out. I started finding people posting the Spiderworking.com Facebook wall, short comments like ‘hello from your latest fan’ and a link to their page. Some people were bolder posting what amounted to an advert for themselves on the page.
I have encouraged people to post on my wall in the past and many businesses do, sharing information, asking questions etc. and it is the lifeblood of a page to have these important engagements. However the short ‘hello look at my page’ post can most definitely be counted as spam .
On another occasion I noticed a page I liked had started posting ‘adverts’ or in this case links to their blog posts to many high profile Irish pages.
I don’t really blame the people who create these wall posts, there are unwritten rules of social media etiquette and they can be hard to navigate. In this specific example it is also a waste of time. Content posted on a pages wall by anyone other than the admins does not get shared to the newsfeed of the people who ‘Like’ that page. The only people you will reach with your post are those visiting the page (a small fraction of the people who Like the page) and the Admin so all you achieve at the end of the day is a few disgruntled admins.
Are you unsure if you’re spamming? If so here’s my quick guide:
What is spam?
The Google dictionary defines spam as “Irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to a large number of recipients” For the purpose of this blog post I’d widen that to unsolicited self promotional content posted on the Internet in a space not fit for that purpose. This could be a Facebook wall post, a comment on a blog, a discussion in a Linkedin group or a Twitter direct message. As a rule of thumb something that just promotes you with out adding value has the potential to be considered spam.
How do I know if I’m spamming?
I guess the key to knowing if a post is spam or not is asking yourself if you are adding value and is it relevant? Is your post purely promotional or are you asking a question or sharing information that the page owners will find useful?
If you’re leaving a comment on a blog is it well thought out? If you’re including a link is it relevant to the article?
If you’re posting a discussion to a Linkedin group is it it relevant, will it provoke interaction from others?
If you are sending a DM on Twitter is it personal or is it automated? Are you simply asking them to Like a page or read your blog?
Don’t panic!
If you’re guilty of any of these behaviours don’t panic, you can stop now, you can even delete posts you’ve made on others walls and go forward knowing that you’ve seen the error of your ways. Start providing value to pages and your community and your spamming days will soon be forgotten.
Are you tired of spam? Have you been spammed in any more creative ways that I’ve missed? I’d love to hear your comments below.
Excellent as always. Here’s a link to my latest post…only joking…
Before reading this post I had only really thought of spam in terms of attempts to leave comments on blogs (thankfully mostly blocked by akismet) but you’ve opened my eyes to this new form of spamming. I may even have been guilty of it at times myself – although in my defence, if I posted a link to my own work, it really was because I thought it was adding to the discussion. You also raise an important point about social media etiquette and the unwritten rules..although rules written or unwritten, there are still a lot of spammers who don’t care. For those of us who do, your guide is very helpful.
Excellent post Amanda, I have to admit I didn’t mind the first couple who did it to my page as they included a friendly greeting and I went to their page and said Hi but I’ve had online shops providing links to their shops which really annoyed me. The spammers seem to be getting more abrupt and less friendly too with their ‘hello, I’m x from xxx and you have lovely stuff’ type messages. Great post for pointing out the appropriate etiquette because as you say, some people may see it being done and think it is acceptable and then they do it and get in trouble. I did see where one ‘facebook friend’ had put an update on a popular biz page the other day and the biz page had left a comment thanking them but saying they mustn’t have seen their recommendations/instructions and they would appreciate if she removed it immediately. I wonder if she did …
That’s something I left out of my post that I probably should have included. Having an upfront posting policy that you can refer people to can help them understand why posts have been removed. I may have to do another blog on that!
Hi Marie, I can’t imagine you spamming! As long as you are contributing and not just promoting I think it’s fine… more than fine, that’s what social media before. One thing I’ve realised since I wrote this post is that spam is in the eye of the beholder. Some people wouldn’t bat an eyelid at my complaints but you’re always going to get better results engaging.
I personally hate spam but I suppose it’s a bit like Marmite, you either love it or hate it …
Hahaha! I used to quite like spam when I was a kid too 🙂 And the Monty Python sketch never stops being funny.
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Social media marketing is very hard to gain. So some marketer are using some spamming software. I got some offer from these type of marketer. We can stop social media spamming to be conscious about this.