Clean Up Your Act!
As someone who uses Facebook for business and helps small businesses use Facebook, I am all too aware of watching a small business owner stick their foot in it and lose clients. If in doubt don’t post it. If you are super passionate about something… go to a public location across town (not your store or office) and scream like a sandwich sign wearer. Please keep it off social media.
I was on Facebook recently and saw a post that offended me. (Well, who’s not offended these days?) I did the grown-up thing and ignored it. Then he posted more videos, comments, and memes that also rubbed me the wrong way. He is a business owner who friends his clients, potential clients, and other business owners. They are insulting posts, not educational or thought-provoking.
These are not “I’m pro (insert hot topic”). These comments, posts, memes are “You people are so stupid because (insert foot in poop)”. Calling liberals “libtards” or “
I posted this question to a Facebook group, Boss Babes RVA. Boss Babes RVA a supportive group of female business owners and hustlers.
Question
Have you unfriended or removed contacts from social media because of their personal actions and stop referring business to them because of it?
Same question in a different way: Did you unfriend someone and stop referring them business because of their inappropriate memes/posts, etc.
Katey
Responses
I think of a referral as a reflection of my personal brand and character. I might not remove someone from my social media if they hold different opinions than I do - unless they are spewing hate and intolerance, but I certainly will avoid referring them to someone because I don’t want to be associated with their mission, vision, and values.
April Palmer - www.pivotpass.com
Yes. And also added them to my black list.
Tuliza Equine - tulizamassage.wix.com/home
Most definitely. Money is one of the highest forms of power. Why give power to someone who has different principles than you?
Ashley Smith-O’Meara
I was supporting his business by connecting him with other businesses and friends that could be clients. Then I kept seeing these rude posts. I unfriended him and stopped referring business to him. I am not the only person that feels this way. I don’t want his judgments to reflect on me and my small business. This is also not because we see things differently or being on opposite sides of a hot topic like guns, abortion, etc. These posts were just meanness and snark.
I am not alone in my thinking. Have you not done business with someone because of something? How many people praise or boycott Chic-fil-a for their stances? The same question goes for Starbucks. These are huge businesses that get headline news coverage with teams of people working to clean up a CEO’s or employee’s oopsie. Have you seen Paula Dean lately? Michael Richards has been pretty quiet since his racial comment. The Red Hen had to do a lot of work after their public drama went viral. I mean a lot. Read the article and see if it’s worth it.
Small businesses take much harder hits than big corporations. If you depend on social media for your small to no-marketing-budget and you are throwing your opinions and insults around like birdseed at a wedding, then be prepared for the consequences. If you choose to keep spewing hate on social media to blow off steam then keep it private and don’t friend potential clients. As a small business owner, you can’t afford to ostracize any potential customers.
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