More and more I see companies making mistakes that can be avoided…if they would just get professional customer engagement counsel.

GM has issued 2.6 million recall notices to customers stemming from a faulty ignition switch. The recall is linked to at least 13 deaths. The National Highway Transportation Authority (NHTSA) believes it may be much more.  A Reuters analysis found the number could be as high as 74 deaths.

However,  in issuing the recalls, GM failed to omit victims who had died as a result of the problem. They sent those families recall notices.

Sixteen-year-old Amber Marie Rose’s mother, Terri DiBattista, received a recall notice for a car that was involved in a 2005 Maryland crash that killed her daughter. GM went further, mailing a notice to the family’s new address in South Carolina, where they had moved to try to heal after their daughter’s death.

GM’s statement, sent to each crash victim’s family reads: “We are deeply sorry to those families who received a recall notice.”

The public relations woes of the company continue.  The automaker announced that 15 employees are retiring or have been fired as a result of the ignition problem. The recall began with 800,000 Chevy Cobalts and Pontiac G5s, before growing to the current number of 2.6 million.

As many companies experience these types of public relations issues, it’s critical to not forget the importance of expert communications counsel.

I have to admit, I’m a newbie to Twitter. I read a few chapters in books, participated in a few seminars and just jumped right in. I’m still not as proficient as I’d like. It’s moving faster than a cat in a room of rocking chairs. I know I made many mistakes along the way, including the one I’m sharing here.

There’s a social media shortcut that seems like a great time-saver: Having a Facebook post show up on Twitter. But it’s not a good idea: The two social media platforms are very different in the ways fans engage with them and require different approaches.

Twitter is a good tool for connecting with current as well as potential customers. It’s tailored for gathering and responding to tweets about your business and to handle any complaints. Here’s why it should not link to Facebook:

1. If you’re not posting directly to Twitter, you probably won’t follow up with your customers and interact directly with them. Customers will think you don’t care about them if you’re nonresponsive.
2. People may follow you on Facebook also, but if the same content is on both, you’ll lose them half the time. They’ll see the same posts as being impersonal and inauthentic.
3. Facebook allows up to 5,000 characters per post and Twitter only 140. A truncated post on Twitter just looks sloppy and loses its impact. Some posts also only show up as links on Twitter when linked from Facebook. Your message gets lost and the opportunity to reach a new customer is gone.

You’ll end up with less followers than if you manage them individually. It will mean more time, but you’ll notice the difference over time and build a stronger, loyal customer base.

So if you’ve followed us on Twitter, you may have noticed this blunder. Please come back. We realize our  mistake and we’re in the process of  making changes.