What Not To Do On Social Media

Business owners have a lot of leeway in terms of how they choose to cultivate their presence on social media. Because it is such a dynamic environment, it can be the perfect place to try out a new approach or concept as well as to adjust quickly and effectively when the success of the concept, or lack thereof, becomes apparent.

Social media is a great place to maintain a presence for your business in a more casual and intimate way than you might be able to do in other arenas. This is because you have interactions with clients through social media that are both direct and virtual; you can get extremely close to them and their personal lives without ever actually meeting them.

However, the goal is certainly to translate virtual relationships into real relationships. There are many ways to do this, but there are also many things you might unwittingly do on social media that could prevent this from happening.

Trying to be too relatable

Internet culture in this decade is a fascinating thing. It evolves seemingly of its own accord, but in very short order most of its frequent users become aware of and engaged in new developments. This, however, does not mean that it is easy to understand, nor that you can assume that you will be able to harness the ubiquity of internet culture to promote your brand.

People generally find it very easy to see through a public figure, business, or brand who is trying too hard to be relatable. You may think you have found the perfect idea for a meme that echoes previous formats while highlighting your brand. While this may be the case, it’s a huge risk, and if you decide to go that route, make sure you have a social media consultant from a key demographic to sign off on your efforts.

Too much or too little variety

Your social media presence will not arise in the first few days or even weeks that you have been putting in the effort. Rather, it will aggregate over time and likely, if you are approaching it correctly, never stop evolving at least in small ways. This means that you will have plenty of time and space to experience with content and formats that appeal to your audience and work for your team.

However, be wary of falling into the trap of being either too niche or not specialized enough. In the gray area between these extremes lies what you would call a “recognizable” brand image; it is adaptable, but has clear habits of online engagement and a recognizable tone or personality.

Half-baked profiles

Make sure that if you publish a profile on Facebook, LinkedIn, or some similar service, that you are committed to and prepared for maintaining a comprehensive and complete presence online. This means that you should have a clear description of your business along with ample contact information, hours of operation, and helpful links to other social media, your website, or your blog.

There are few things more discouraging than being intrigued by a business and, upon visiting their Facebook page, coming away disillusioned by how little information is to be found there. Take and publish as many pictures as you can; showcase your strength and involvement through the social media avenues you’ve chosen.