Everyone has seen the good, the bad, and the really, really bad on basically every online platform. The Twitter feed that reads:
"We're having a sale 50% off"
"Stop in today - big sale"
"35% off everything"

It's like someone taking out a huge cartoon Acme sledgehammer and hitting you over the head while calling you dumb. It's annoying and the brand typically has under 100 followers to show for their efforts. I kind of feel bad, they're trying.....
So since we don't want to hit our clients and beloved customers over the head with cartoon weapons of any kind it's important to learn to be a little more subtle in the social media space.

There are great examples of brand subtlety everywhere - just take the Adidas ad on the left. Marketers are doing pretty well with just a hint of advertising speak on a visual ad. Yet when it comes to social media where a lot of the content is written, is when people start stumbling and writing things like "check out our newest....." and you're customer's friends online don't talk that way so they know you're a brand and not a friend and maybe shouldn't be trusted.

A call to action can be like crying wolf. In real life your network might tell you about products they like that you should check out but they don't do it every single time they open their mouths. This is the mentality to have when online as well.

A connection made inside your head is better than someone connecting all the dots for you. This ad advice is really old but it's so applicable to social media conversation that it's worth mentioning. When you tell your friends about your workplace you paint a picture over time about the kind of company you work for. Maybe one day you tell a funny story about your boss, then about how you decorate your office, and then about some new feature you're working on.You want people to think you have great customer service? Maybe instead of saying "we have great service" (sledgehammer) you might say "just got invited to a customer's 50th birthday party! Awesome!" and let your customers do the connecting.

Another great example of letting people connect their own dots is the Wonderbra campaign:

You're going to see them again. The difference between your online network and advertising is that with an ad, you are reaching someone just one time and you've got about 10 seconds - better tell them what you want them to get out of your message. If someone chooses to follow you, friend you, or otherwise become part of your network you can talk to them once a week, once a month, or every day. Telling them your bottom line every time you see them would be.... weird.