I enjoyed a recent interview with Amanda Chapel on Tom Cuniff’s iCPG blog in which she takes on some social media sacred cows (SMSCs) and warns prospective corporate social media adopters:

1. Beware of social media cancers. Know that by participating in social media you invariably expose yourself to and empower the virulent haters of your company or organization;
2. Beware of the demagogues. People and competitors are just waiting for you to make a move for them to leverage;
3. Beware of the SEC. Talk to an expert in SEC law to understand the long-term implications of “open communications;”
4. Beware of market pressure to relinquish control of your brand. Once it’s gone, you ain’t getting it back;
5. Beware of hucksters. I’d warn them about ROP (see above). You can and should predetermine precisely your expected real Return on Investment.

This is some of the best social media advice I’ve seen. As Brad Hamilton of All American Burger said, “learn it, know it, live it.”

Tags: tom cuniff, amanda chapel, ROP, ROI, social media