9 Things You Should Never Do on Social Media

Social media is has no boundaries when it comes to supporting your business growth and reaching people from all over the world. However, as much as it presents its advantages, it is so important that you pay attention and not to make some of the following mistakes: 

1# Use of Poor Grammar and Spelling Mistakes

Spelling mistakes may not look like such a big deal, but when you're putting content online, those posts  represent your brand, and you need to be extra careful. Proofread all your content before you hit the publish button. A little mistake in your spelling or grammar could lead to a misinterpretation of your content. I use Grammarly, this spellchecker is one of the best tools I ever invested in to support my business. You can check any type of written content in Grammarly, it not only helps you check the grammatical errors, but it also offers options and adjustments for sounding better and more professional. 

2# Depend Totally on Automation

It's no doubt that automation makes posting on social media easier and much more convenient. It lessens the burden of having to check on your post every minute. It also allows you to post focused on different timezones. 

For a busy mumpreneur, this comes in handy; however, it has its downsides. Automating every step of your process on social media can remove that human feel we all crave.

When your followers ask questions in your DMs or in the comments, they need to feel that they're getting answers from another human, not some automated robot. These interactions create a form of connection between them and your brand.

3# Jump Into Every Trending Hashtag

While it's super important to use relevant hashtags in your content as they help optimize your posts, it doesn't make sense to use every trending hashtag you come across and find interesting. 

When choosing hashtags, you should always consider how relevant those hashtags are to your business and to your target audience. Just for the sake of filling up the 30-hashtag quota, don't add all kinds to your content. 

4# Ignore Comments, Questions, and Feedback

Feedbacks and questions are critical to engagement. You should always be available to attend to your followers' questions and comments, especially negative feedback.

In cases of negative feedback, don't ignore them; instead, empathise with your followers. If you cannot offer refunds, apologise sincerely to your clients instead of trying to prove you are right. You shouldn't take comments and feedback personally. Remember, you are representing a brand. So it is important to remain as professional as possible. If someone is being rude to you, or to your followers or you experience some bullying, feel free to delete, block and remove. While negative feedback offers you the opportunity to turn things around, improve, and convert an unhappy customers or follower into a happy one, you should never have to endure people with bad taste and lack of kindness. 

5# Marketing Without a Solid Strategy

As an entrepreneur, when creating social media content, you should be strategic about what and how you communicate. Ensure you portray your brand (and yourself) in a good light at every step. Be sensible, sensitive and inclusive. Build a strategy that supports your business goals and help you connect with your target audience. 80-90% of your content should be about offering value to your readers and listeners and only 10-20% about selling your products and services. 

6# Discuss Controversial Topics

Many people like to express their feelings about controversial topics on social media, such as politics, religion, etc.. However, don't be tempted to do this. Taking a stand about any sensitive topic as a brand can affect how people see your business (unless your brand is explicitly related to any of the topics mentioned above). 

In general, it is safer to avoid controversial topics that might lead to arguments or negative comments from followers that may share a different view.

8# Posting Contents That Lack Diversity 

As much as it's essential to maintain a consistent brand voice, you don't have to do it in a boring way. Look out for ways and forms in which you can share your content.

Experiment with content that has images, videos, create or join podcasts, write blog posts, etc. You don't have to stick to one form, and one form only. However, I recommend sticking to the ones that work well for you as the brand owner and, of course, for your brand. For example, suppose you are not a fan of shooting dance videos for Instagram but love talking to like-minded people. In that case, you should probably consider investing time and energy in running your own podcast instead of creating those dance reels.

However, you might consider what experts say: Step out of your comfort zone..., well there are times when you should and other times you should not. In my experience, if you have to step outside of your comfort zone constantly and it requires a lot of time and energy, you just simply won't show up. If something fits your skills and personality (like the podcast for someone love to talk), you will build a good habit and find much joy and success in doing something you love. If you have to keep on pushing yourself about creating regular content, sooner or later, you will find an excuse why not to do it. 

9# Being Too Casual

While you want to sound and look friendly and accommodating to your audience, you don't want to overstep that thin line that leads you to be too casual. 

Be straightforward. Cut out slangs and abbreviations that would make you sound weird. Instead, speak in friendly and interactive ways. Your tone of voice is a bridge to connecting with your target audience. How you talk is how you can engage the right kind of audience. If you show up with authenticity, fully aligned with who you are and what you represent, your dream client will see you and hear you. 

These are my simple tips to watch out for when creating and publishing content for social media. The best way to show up with clear standards and confidence while you represent your brand and yourself fully aligned is to create some simple operating procedures and, of course, have a solid strategic plan in place. This might feel overwhelming for you, and if it does, do reach out and let me help you create your content plan. If you want to learn more about content creation, go and check out this post about 9 Reasons Your Social Media Engagement Isn't Growing.