Top 5 Social Media Don’ts

It’s easy to find lists online telling you how to create a more engaging post, how to set-up your Facebook page, etc; but what about the big don’ts in social media? Funny thing is, they are the same things you should avoid in any marketing you do for your company. Here’s what I think are the top 5 things you should NOT do when creating a social media post for your business–and really for your personal accounts as well–that I’ve observed in my experiences.

1. Don’t talk over your audience’s head. 
Say you are a dentist, and you want to explain a procedure to your audience; you should use layman’s terms not technical verbiage. How many of your followers know what caries are? (They are cavities if you were wondering.) Keep it simple. 

2. Don’t talk politics or religion. 
We’ve all heard this adage before, “Never discuss politics or religion in polite company”. This stands in business, so of course it stands when writing a post. There are few industries or situations where this rule isn’t always upheld. Be careful. It can bite you in the bum if you aren’t.

3. Don’t point fingers. 
If you feel like your competitors are doing something very wrong, do not ever point it out. Rather, focus on what you are doing right. Draw the attention to your positives. Pointing out someone else’s faults doesn’t make you look like a savior, but it CAN make you look petty or arrogant.

4. Don’t delete negative comments. 
I see this all the time. Never delete anything negative. You never know who may have seen it, taken a screenshot, or told someone else before you even discovered it. Spinning the negative comment into a positive by showing your wonderful customer service skills and moving the conversation off of the internet will win over prospective consumers better than a positive review in most instances.

5. Don’t forget, social media is SOCIAL. Always respond. 
This is the most overlooked aspect of social media. It isn’t like a commercial, a billboard, or a magazine ad. Your audience has a voice in social media. You work very hard to increase engagement with your audience, so why ignore the feedback you have worked so hard for? Give your consumers validation for their feedback with a response. You won’t regret it.