Basic human interaction has some rules of thumb. Socializing for work or pleasure has a number of potential pitfalls, but luckily most of us learn to avoid them. Email, Twitter, Facebook are all social networks. Any interaction between two humans is social, regardless of what channel that interaction takes place on. So, there’s no reason not to apply that hard won real world experience to your social and email marketing efforts. We’ve put together a top five list of things you shouldn’t do at a party or in email marketing. 

1. Talk about yourself constantly
You may be the world’s most interesting person or brand for that matter, but talking only about yourself is a sure way to bore people to death and drive them away. Don’t go on and on in email marketing or on social about how wonderful your brand is. People want to hear about how your product or service can add value to their lives! Don’t tell me what a product can do! Tell me what people are doing with your product!

2. Not listen to people
Traditional media technology doesn’t provide for a conversation. Marketers have been trapped by a push methodology where the objective was to repeat the message over and over until you felt it had registered. That’s perfectly fine if your target audience can’t respond and interact with you, but in today’s online world, they have that ability and they want to be heard. Listen to what people are talking about and then use that knowledge to relate back to them.

3. Be oblivious to current events
Those who know how to network at social events realize that being up on current events and tying discussion in with them helps you connect. If you don’t know what’s going on in your subscriber’s world, how can you be relevant and engaging?

4. Not know who you’re talking with
What you say and how you say it depends on who you are talking with. Not knowing that can make you irrelevant or worse, insulting. Do your homework on your subscribers and partner with an ESP who can provide the kind of behavioral data that allows you to do that.

5. Re-dip the chip
Don’t keep going back to the dip with the same chip. People aren’t surprised by the fact that others have certain areas of hyper-focus, but the smart networkers are the ones who can mix things up and balance that with a variety of relevant content. Yes, stay on message, but also stay on guard for engagement killers such as repetition and lack of creativity. As with a cocktail party, the effective socializers realize it’s important to show a real interest in what others are saying. Being able to connect with people on their terms sets you apart in a noisy room. It’s the same thing in email and social marketing. Knowing what interests your subscribers and engaging them with content which is relevant to them personally will give you the edge in your campaigns.