Oops. You just emailed your social media plan to Nina, your biggest customer, by mistake. The blood drains from your face. What will she think?

Use this little scenario as a mental check on your social media activities. Are your tactics meant to benefit your community — or to just manipulate them for your own ends?

So read your plan again with your customer’s eyes. Imagine how Nina would feel if she found out you were …

• erasing bad product reviews
• anonymously trashing your competitors
• artificially swelling your follower counts
• ghostwriting your CEO’s blog posts
• abusing customers’ Facebook data

If you’re doing slimy things like this, smarten up now — or wake up one horrible morning to read your company’s expose on The Consumerist.

Don’t just avoid ethical pitfalls. Your social media plan should fill your fans with anticipation of all the great ways you’re going to make their life more enjoyable this year. Here are some activities you should include in your social media plan:

• passing along helpful information
• publishing useful content
• providing superb customer service
• answering product questions promptly
• maintaining a friendly, human presence
• admitting when you screw up and making it right immediately
• rewarding and honoring your best fans
• delighting your fans in surprising ways
• guiding them to the products and services they actually need

If your social media plan is bursting with ways to serve your community, people like Nina will reward you with their business, their loyalty, and their advocacy. And you’ll never have to fear being exposed.

What social media tactics would make you angry? And which ones really delight your community? Let us know in the comments.

Tags: customer experience, Customer service, ethics, humanizing, social media plan, social media strategy