Here’s a (crowdsourced) list of social media faux pas to avoid.
Vaguebooking
It’s basically the equivalent of not saying enough but trying to draw on crowds to ask you more details. This activity normally results in the response “U OK hun?” on Facebook.
The problem is, it’s now in our world:
£See this week’s employment law newsletter” or “latest Court decisions in intellectual property”.
These statuses are vague and uninspiring, they won’t compel the reader to open the message which is why your engagement levels are so low. Since you’ve gone to all the effort of writing that article, please write a decent headline and status update.
Cards/images that don’t fit
It’s annoying that every platform has a discrete size of photo that it wants to use for the header image, the shared photo, the preview etc. We get that it’s annoying.
What’s more annoying is when we don’t play by their rules and for our info in so that it’s legible.
In a day and age where you can create a Canva social postcard in just a few minutes, it’s not really acceptable to mess it up.
Gated content
Need to gate your content? Understood.
Need to share tour gated content? Goddit.
Need to warn people that it’s gated before they click through? Yes, yes you do.
72 Twitter accounts for the same organisation
You don’t need to do this. Just use hashtags to allow readers to filter out content.
All tweets and no responses / retweets
It’s called social media, not broadcast. If you don’t comment, you won’t get the reach you want. Please don’t share one piece of content on the hour every hour ad infinitum. Who’s even reading it?
Self-promotion
Don’t use social for self-promotion only – you have to use it to engage with your followers as that’s where relationships are formed and new opportunities arise. We have a tool that we’ve developed to see if you’re getting the balance right on Twitter. Please get in touch if you’re interested in that.
Drunk tweeting
Limit your usage of social (using screentime?) Switch off your phone? Frankly, do whatever it takes and avoid drunk tweeting.
#Too #Many #Hashtags #In #Every #Status #Update
#Including #putting #them #on #random #words.
Learn how to use hashtags and they’ll repay you in spades.
P.S. Make sure you use capitals in them too so that they don’t read two ways eg #heroinheels and #nowthatchersdead – the latter of which famously caused a lot of Americans to think that Turn Back Time singer had passed away, when in fact it related to the former UK Prime Minister having passed away.
Trolling
It’s totally unnecessary.
LinkedIn posts on Twitter
Do one social network well rather than two poorly. It *never* works if you post LinkedIn posts on Twitter.
Buying Followers
Don’t do it. Real followers can tell and will unfollow you. And the social networks will spot your unusually quick growth and punish you too. Better to be influential in a small group than not and surrounded by fake accounts.
Auto connection tools
Some people use auto connection tools to extend their LinkedIn networks and then sell your services by sending your new connections an automated sales pitch. Ever received one? That’s reason enough not to do it. Keep it human.
What have we missed off our list?
Tweet us using the hashtag #socialmediafauxpas or email us suggestions to add to the list.
