Avoid these 6 Social Media Faux Pas

We all want to connect with our audiences, but what does that connection look like? It can look like a lot of things and is usually unique to each brand. That's the beauty of social media, but there are definitely a few things to avoid. We've offered 6 mistakes to avoid in the past, and we thought it was about time to add a few more tips.

Inconsistent Timing

Consistency is key - without the follow-through to continually engage with your audience, they will lose interest. Create a calendar and stick to it. Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer make it easy to schedule content in advance. At the very least, add notes to your own calendar to make sure this is happening on a fairly regular schedule. If you aren't in touch with your audience, you're not connecting with them. And isn't that the whole purpose of all of this in the first place?

Every Post is Super Calculated and #OnBrand

Not everything has to be soley for your perfectly plotted Instagram squares. Sharing authentic content is the key to truly connecting and keeping engagement flowing. If your content continually sounds like a pitch-perfect ad, your followers will lose interest. Instagram stories and TikTok allow for sharing behind-the-scenes, more relaxed content that allows your followers to see exactly what you've got going on.

Sharing Inside Jokes on Social Media

Inside jokes are great to have with your coworkers and inside your company, but they shouldn't be shared with your audience. As much as it feels like you are letting them in on the secret joke, it is more than likely alienating and confusing them, especially if they weren't in on it from the beginning. Keep those in your Slack channels, friends.

Avoiding Different Social Channels

Don't avoid other channels because you don't like them or aren't familiar with them. I might sound like a broken record after I shared my thoughts on TikTok, but just because you don't think your content belongs or fits in a certain channel doesn't mean it won't work. Push past your comfort zone and your preferences - you might be surprised by who you connect with!

Avoiding Features on a Platform

That being said, it's important to execute on the channels you have. Learn how to utilize the platform to its best - like categorizing what kind of content you share on Instagram versus Facebook, or what goes into an Instagram story versus an Instagram post, and so on. That even includes smaller details like knowing how to utilize the fun features like stickers and locations to create enjoyable content.

Taking Too Much Inspiration From Other Brands

There is a lot of high quality, engaging content out there, but try your hardest not to copy someone else's feed. There is a big difference between getting inspiration and stealing other brands' social playbook- I trust you can figure that one out. But by all means - take popular memes and make them your own all day long.

Hopefully this gives you a helpful tip or two to up your social media game. We are always game to chat social media strategy, so let us know if that's something you're interested in.