It's Friday the 13th and with that comes all the talk of superstitions and luck. Are you superstitious? Do you avoid ladders, refuse to open your umbrella indoors, and throw spilled salt over your shoulder? To be honest, I am one of those people. No, I don't carry a lucky rabbit's food or a four leaf clover in my purse but I also don't purposely mess with the universe. I will walk around that ladder, I will wait until outside to open my umbrella, and what's a little salt over the shoulder...

But as much as I give in to these superfluous beliefs, I think it's important to distinguish social media superstitions. Holding onto silly beliefs or hoping for the best is not a successful social media strategy.

First, let's look at the definition of superstition. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, superstition is defined as "a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation."

We should never run our social media (or any other business strategy for that matter) based on a fear of the unknown or due to ignorance. "I didn't know" is not an acceptable excuse in any business aspect. You know that, you tell your employees that, so why would you run your marketing like that.

So, what are some of the common social media superstitions? Let's look at them!

Beginner's Luck

Sure, if it's your first time playing blackjack and you clean house, you can claim beginner's luck. But in business and social media, there is no such thing. Nor should this ever be a plan of yours!

If you are planning to launch a new social media platform or a new blog or a new contest, you should never go in blind. You should be researching best practices, learning the terminology, understanding common practices, and implementing policies and procedures. The best luck is active preparation!

On a side note, this same analogy applies to "crossing your fingers".

Superstitious Routines

Have you ever watched a professional athlete get ready for a game? They repeat the exact same pattern every time - they wear the same socks every game, they tie their shoes in the same order, they repeat the same mental mantra, they touch the same sign on their way out of the locker room, and a gazillion other silly things. Or what about when they reach the playoffs and they won't shave their beards until they finish the championships (for win or loss). Do these routines really bring them any more luck? I highly doubt it. Although some of those athletes may disagree with me.

What it does do, is put them in a routine. Everything becomes a habit so that they no longer have to think about it. And, as someone who loves a good routine, I definitely understand the value in this. But, when it comes to social media, things are evolving so quickly that we can't allow ourselves to become complacent and routine. We need to be on our toes looking for how to evolve with the changes. You need to be running A/B testing, checking stats, and experimenting with new things!

Broken Mirror

The theory goes that if you break a mirror, you will have seven years bad luck. The ancient concept is that a mirror holds not only your reflection but parts of your soul. And breaking that leaves your soul broken, bringing you bad luck.

Just like the broken mirror, many companies can falter publicly and grandly with social media. Domino's Pizza is an example of a company that was blasted on social media when images of their employees "tampering" with food went viral. Many probably thought this was the end - their proverbial 7 years bad luck. But, instead, the CEO of Domino's got involved, an active social media campaign was launched, and appropriate measures were instituted to resolve the situation. Bad situations are going to happen. Things break, it's a part of life. But you don't have to sit back and let it be your demise. Take action to fix the problem and reverse your "bad luck".

Avoiding the Black Cat

The black cat was associated with witches and witchcraft during the Middle Ages. Fearing the magic and curses associated with witches, people began to fear the black cats associated with them (although in all fairness, the so called "witches" had cats of all colors as companions).

My college roommate had the sweetest black cat as a pet when we lived together. Cute, cuddly, adorable, and lovable. A true character in his own right, that cat loved her unconditionally. What if she had chosen to believe the myths about black cats, and chosen a different pet? Would she have been happy? Probably. But she (and I) would have missed out on all the amazing experiences we shared with him.

Likewise, with your social media, don't avoid something just because everyone else tells you to. Do what works for you and brings you success. If you want to refer to yourself as a certain title, go for it. If you want to use certain buzzwords, do it. If you want to post at an "off peak" time (oh no!), get to posting. You may just find those amazing people looking for that black cat.

Walking Under a Ladder

Do know why walking under a ladder is bad luck? It's based on an ancient theory that when a ladder is leaned against a wall, it forms a triangle. This triangle symbolized the Holy Trinity in Christian belief and "breaking" that triangle by walking through it was blasphemous!

Have you ever seen those companies who do something really well? They are connecting with their audiences, getting great responses, and seemingly doing it all right? Yeah, they seem to have hit that metaphorical Holy Trinity with social media. But then, all of sudden, it stops. They stop posting or they stop using this successful method. They leave their audiences scratching their heads asking, "WTF?"

Don't be one of these companies! If you're finding something works well with your audience of if you are succeeding at social media - don't break that Holy Trinity!

So, on this day of superstition, look at your social media methods. Are you guilty of any of these superstitious social media behaviors? If you are, it's time to step back and look at things realistically and practically. Take action to set your own destiny!