By now most people have seen all the “hoo-ha” about employees being fired over negative comments they’ve made on Facebook. But the even crazier thing is small business owners don’t seem to have taken the hint and continue to post very damaging tweets of their own.

I was initially reluctant to write this article because I figured that these mistakes were being made by a minority of people, but considering how frequently I’ve been seeing certain tweets pop up, I guess I was wrong.

This article is written in the hope of helping small business owners preserve their relationships with their clients in the future.

It happens every day and sometimes several times a day. Intelligent, often big-hearted, small business owners unknowingly commit “client-nurturing suicide” on their Twitter or Facebook pages.

Don’t get me wrong – social media (when used correctly) is a very powerful marketing tool. After all, your “business” friends often love seeing the human side of you.

BUT – PLEASE - as a business professional – there’s a line that you want to make sure that you never cross.

This is what NOT to do - EVER!

Never, EVER, be negative about a client, an employee or the work you do online.

Here’s a selection of sales-killing tweets I have seen more regularly than I would have hoped. Before I share this information though, PLEASE recognise that your customers want to do business with a company that offers great service.

A company that knows its stuff and only employs people who are competent.

A company that treats its people like gold.

A CEO or owner of a company who is really passionate about the work she does and about her relationship with customers.

What I’m saying here isn’t rocket-science. In fact, most people know this stuff, yet the crazy thing is, this negativity continues to happen.

For instance, when your client reads …

“TGIF. So over work this week. Can’t wait for the weekend”

… what your client says to herself is, “Boy they mustn’t be really passionate about (or be paying attention to) the work they’ve been doing for me this week then.”

When your client reads, “YAY. Just reeled in a big quote on a client we’ve been hunting for a long time.”…

… what your client says to herself is, “Don’t treat me like a number. Don’t get cocky - the account hasn’t been won yet.”

When a client reads, “Finally. Finished a big job for a major client. Boy was that painful!” …

… what your client says to herself is, “So, what do you really think of ME and my work then?”

When a client reads, “Fed up with employees who don’t understand the meaning of deadlines/the meaning of quality (etc)” …

… what your client says to herself is, “Can I really trust your company to do the job right and on time then?”

Scary, isn’t it! And I’m sure there are even more detrimental tweets out there.

Look, I am the first person to admit that I don’t write the most appropriate tweets all of the time. Heck, I’ve written ones that are probably a little cheesy or boring, and in some cases, probably a little self-serving (as I’m sure many of us do from time-to-time).

Nobody is perfect and your online friends don’t expect you to be either. BUT - there’s a difference between slightly embarrassing and downright damaging.

Let’s face it - we all get cheesed off at times. Most of us have negative moments or days, but next time it happens – PLEASE - stay off Twitter and Facebook until the anger or depression subsides.

It’s a bit like the rule that alcohol and mobile phones don’t mix. Mmm … drunken phone calls or texting … not a good look … oops … I’ve done that once or twice myself … d’oh!

On a parting note, I’ll leave you with a poem written by James Allen, Author of “As a Man Thinketh”…

“Mind is the master power that moulds and makes,
And man is mind, and evermore he takes
The tools of thought, and shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys or a thousand ills.

He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass,
Environment is but his looking-glass.”

All the best,

Kristina Mills - Transformational Marketer