Things you SHOULDN’T do on your Social Media Business Profiles

Posted on November 22, 2016 in Social Media

Quite commonly I come across blogs and articles that outline social media best practices, how to engage with your audience, the value in social media, why you need to utilize the platforms, and so on. However, I do not run into articles as often that clearly dictate what you should NOT be doing on your social media business profile. With that being said, here are a few things that you shouldn’t do on your social business channels that can actually hurt your business and your brand.

READY, FIRE, AIM

You don’t need to rush it. Although one large advantage of social media is the flexibility to create a post relevant content instantly, it doesn’t mean you should run out on the field without a game plan. Many brands do themselves a disservice by creating content just for the purpose of getting information out there, but forget to set a clear obtainable goal. You don’t have to nail your target every time, but if you’re spending marketing dollars and time on the platform, think it through first! You wouldn’t create a TV commercial without a story board and script, would you?

VOICING YOUR OWN POLITICAL BELIEFS

Let me first state that I am a huge proponent of freedom of speech. However, if you are a business owner or a social media brand manager, keep your political opinions to yourself when it comes to social media. Voicing that you’re an advocate for the Democratic or Republican candidate is going to offend someone. After all, this country is 50/50. The goal of social media is to attract brand advocates and potential customers – not upset them and scare them away.

STEALING IMAGES

Stealing and regurgitating images on your business profile is actually illegal, unless you have explicit consent from the author of the content, or have purchased rights to it. Not only that, but it’s lazy. If your marketing budget allots for creative branding, you should be utilizing a portion of those marketing dollars to establish your OWN social media presence – not someone else’s.

AUTO-PILOT

If you’re setting your Facebook and Twitter to post for the next 6-months, and just letting the platform fly on auto-pilot from there, please stop. Social Media is about creating community. How can you be part of the community if you’re not sharing relevant content for today? How can you build a community if you’re not monitoring your business profile and engaging with your fans? That’s like opening a retail store with no staff – imagine the complaints! (and not to mention, lack of sales).

IT’S ALL ABOUT ME

Your social media business profile is not just about your business – it’s about positioning your business as a thought leader, earning trust and credibility, and then convincing your followers to engage with your ask. Gary Vaynerchuk does an excellent job of explaining this in his novel “Jab, Jab, Jab Right Hook”. The premise is if people feel like you are giving them free valuable content (value is key), then eventually you are going to build a relationship with them online, and they will respond to your call to action. Think about what your audience wants first!

There are a lot of things that brands and professionals should STOP doing on social media – this is just a few high-level points for you to consider. Feel free to comment below if you have anything that you would like to add to this article – and as always, you can reach out to me direct if you want to chat about how we can help in your marketing efforts!