A to Z Challenge - Day 8: H is for Hazard!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. Today's letter is H, and H is for Hazard.

In the military, a hazard is a situation where someone can get hurt or vital supplies can be lost. This is much the same for marketing hazards. There are many marketing hazards out there and you need to be careful to avoid them.

Hazard #1: Over marketing. Don't tweet marketing tweets 24/7. You need to connect with your audience.

Hazard #2: Getting involved in online fights. Just. Don't. There is no reason to fight with people online. It always ends badly and you'll earn a bad reputation.

Hazard #3: Politics and religion. If your book isn't specifically about these subjects, then it's best not to talk about them.

Hazard #4: Linking facebook and twitter so that whatever you post on one automatically posts on the other. I can't tell you how many times I come across a facebook status asking a fun question. I answer it. Then the person who posted it never replies. If you're going to link them, be present on both social platforms and give BOTH audiences your attention, otherwise don't do it. You look like an idiot when you have an awesome status that fans reply to, but you never interact with them in return. Another reason I don't recommend this is because facebook users tend to get annoyed with hash tags in statuses.

Hazard #5: Replying to reviews. I shouldn't really have to tell you this one, yet I see it happening all the time. Goodreads and Amazon are the two biggest review forums. Do not reply to a review, good or bad. You can "like" the review, but don't reply. Most reviewers find it creepy if you reply to a good one and if you reply to a bad one, you are setting yourself up for some major grief.

There are more hazards out there, but if you're careful and use common sense, you'll be able to avoid them easily. Hope these hazards help!