Don’t Create Your Own Facebook Clutter

I couldn’t figure out why my Facebook fields were ignoring my request for donations to walk in an upcoming event for charity (well, I mean I KNOW why – I’m quick to “like” people’s baby pics, quick to ignore donation requests).

I was surprised that I hadn’t even received a comment about past Facebook links to my donation page… not even a snide remark.

So when I childishly posted a link to the donation page and said that none of my friends cared… the comments (and donations rolled in).

But the best one came from my friend Brian Kelly of the copywriting firm Candlewood Creative, who reminded me the following:

Tim, you update your status several times daily … so you’re creating your own clutter, many of us may have missed the status updates concerning this walk. I know I did. Maybe an email reminder?

Yes, I’m that guy. At every industry show known to mankind, there’s one social media expert who says “don’t be that guy,” and follows up that everyone has that Facebook friend who posts pictures of his child and his dog and his vacation and changes his status update every hour and posts links to articles and checks in at the bar he’s at and…

Yeah, it gets annoying, and you either hide that person’s status updates or ignore him altogether. Or worse, you unfriend him.

Now imaging, as a merchant, sending out coupon codes and links to sale items all day. Is your audience going to listen, or are you just creating clutter?

Evaluate what you’re doing on Facebook. Or better yet, have someone watch your Facebook patterns. See if you’re really getting the message out to the masses, or just creating clutter.