You’d think at this point everyone would have social media mastered. After all, Facebook came out 10 years ago and Twitter’s 8 years old now. Sure, maybe your great aunt is taking her time learning and still writes personal messages on your public Facebook wall, but even some professionals are still doing it wrong. What’s their excuse?

Not only are social media mishaps bad for business, but they’re also just downright annoying. Here are a few tips to avoid social slip-ups so you can assure your brand is likable on social.

 

Don’t Treat Personal Facebook Friends Like Employees

If you have a personal Facebook profile unrelated to your brand page, don’t constantly spit work content at people. Every once in a while, it’s okay to share your company’s latest success or post a few articles. After all, work is probably a big part of your life and you may want to talk about it. Just don’t go off the deep end with professional garbage. People see thousands of marketing messages every day; they don’t have the patience to be constantly hit with your daily company updates.

 

Don’t Say Meaningless Things to Sound Important 

Don’t post things just to look cool. Some phrases don’t really make sense and others are overused:

“Fragmentation of the world we live in”

“Snackable content”

“Immersive experience”

“Ideation”

“Gamification”

We can see through that. Get rid of all the jargon and fancy language and focus on sharing things and talking about things people are actually interested in. Don’t fake an interaction with over-wording, make it real!

 

Don’t Make Your LinkedIn Profile Like a Marketing Campaign

Don’t brag in your LinkedIn title. You shouldn’t say something like “CEO of Top Agency” or “Founder of World-Altering Corporation.” Real successful people don’t need to add a boost to their LinkedIn profile. Demonstrating your skills is better than calling yourself an expert. Plus, if you get someone to hire you based off of inflated statements on your LinkedIn, chances are they’re hiring you for something you can’t do and it’ll lead to a negative outcome in the long run.

 

Avoid Using Distorted Images

Sites are becoming increasingly visual so the proper use of photos is vital. You will instantly lose credibility if your images aren’t sized properly or aren’t high quality. Be sure you know all the proper dimensions for cover photos, profile pictures, etc. This way, people will be drawn to your content and the photo can help to enhance what you have to say.

 

Don’t Overcompensate for Inactivity

If you go quiet for a few days on social media for some reason (not recommended), don’t try to make up for it by posting a ton of updates in one day. You may be worried that people who unfollowed you due to inactivity. Some probably did. However, a social blast is more noticeable and annoying. People are probably more likely in unfollow you if you overwhelm their feed with tweets and updates.

 

Avoid Hashtag Overload

Hashtags are a great way to categorize content and reach certain audiences but some professionals are a little too enthusiastic about using them. You should use a limited number of quality hashtags in order to increase interaction and help fans find exactly what they are looking for.

Stop Being Needy

Constantly asking your fans and followers to do something that doesn’t bring value to them but benefits you gets annoying fast. Like this status, share this picture, enter this contest, read this content, and buy this product. No thank you. You need to take a step back. All this asking is making you look whiny and desperate. Instead, inspire your fans to interact with your posts by asking interesting questions and posting quality content. People will naturally share great content on their own.

 

The Wrap Up

No one wants to lose followers and fans. Plus, you don’t want people associating your brand with spam. Make sure to avoid these bad social media habits and create quality content to inspire your followers and fans to interact with your social pages. Be a brand everyone wants to Like and Follow!