Writers periodically love to generate lists of “deadly sins” of various aspects of marketing. Small wonder, since there are so many temptations to take shortcuts and do it wrong. But we’ve resisted the temptation—until now. Despite all the many ways to use social media for enhancing your brand image, building your customer base, and improving sales, we’ve seen many businesses sabotage themselves by committing the same mistakes over and over.

Perhaps some of the following suggestions will help keep you from committing the Seven Deadly Sins that can make your social media program go up in metaphorical flames.

1. Lust: Don’t jump on the latest platform and try to sign up everyone with a pulse. Quantity is important, but so is quality. Besides, you don’t want to get labeled as desperate—or worse, a spammer. So take it a bit slower and build a list of real fans.
2. Gluttony: Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Social media offers lots of business building opportunities, but don’t try to be everywhere at once. To be successful, you don’t have to be on all the social networks. It’s more important to be on the right ones—the ones that show results for your business.
3. Greed: We all want social media to help us make money, but if all you do on Twitter or Facebook is sell, no one is going to stick around. Let people get to know you and your business. After all, this is social media—not paid commercial time on your local radio station. Be yourself. Be helpful. And, by all means, listen, listen, listen. The money will come.
4. Sloth: It takes a firm commitment, time—and lots of effort—to maintain a blog or create a successful presence on a social network. So, look at the whole picture before you leap. If you’re not going to have the time and energy to do it right, you may do your business more harm than good.
5. Wrath: Once you’re active online, you’re going to get a few critics. Some will offer valuable feedback—others will shout obscenities. Focus on the ones that deserve a response. And never lash out— not even with a “private” email—or you may end up infamous in the blogosphere before you’ve finished your morning coffee.
6. Envy: Someone will always have more followers or more blog comments than you. Treat this like any other marketing program. Focus on who you are and what your business has to offer. Stay on strategy and don’t compete on the unimportant issues.
7. Pride: Pace yourself, stay focused, listen more than you talk. Social media will open marketing opportunities that you never imagined. But don’t get cocky from your successes. Things are in constant change and no one has all the answers. So stay alert. Use what works for your business right now, but be ready to fine-tune your approach as technology—and the marketplace—morph into their new forms.

Avoid the damnation of marketing hell. Be smart, use social media wisely, and it will support your marketing goals instead of leading you astray.