20 Social Media Sins For Businesses To Avoid

Jul 13

Written By

As a business owner, everything you say and do represents yourself and your brand. That's why it's so important to be hyper-cognizant of your online life, both personally and professionally. This includes avoiding committing any social media sins. Once something is out there, it's out there. Even if you delete it, it remains forever archived in cyberspace.

There's certainly no shortage of articles out there about what to say and do on social media. Knowing what NOT to say and do, however, is equally as valuable.

Here are some cardinal social media sins to avoid, and why.

1. Using 'Borrowed' content

Please, whatever you do, don't 'borrow' someone else's content without their permission, or at least without giving proper attribution. This includes images found on Google images, on Pinterest, memes, quotes, posts, and any photos that aren't in the public domain. The influx of new content online is creating new copyright issues, many of which are yet to be dealt with. The very best way to safeguard yourself and your business is to create your own content, both verbally and visually. Luckily, there are plenty of places to grab stock images out there.

Here's a list of 25 sites you can use to get free CC0 stock images to use in your work. If you prefer graphics but aren't particularly design-inclined, check out this post for tips on how to start designing your own shareables.

2. Being Overly Controversial

Opinions- we've all got them. Knowing when and which of them to share on social media is sometimes a fine line. I'm always up for a great discussion. And every now and then a good, controlled debate is beneficial, helping people hash out a topic where they may gain new insights and perspective. But sometimes, things can go too far and people wind up offended, or worse yet, hurt. Comments can come fast and furiously, spiraling beyond your control, quickly. Being opinionated is one thing, but being divisive is quite another. Be aware of how you're wielding your opinion to incite change. The chances of turning people off are far greater than the chances of gaining new followers.

3. Publicizing Private Conversations

Conversations between two people (including with friends, family, colleagues, and customers) have an implied privacy. Sharing them with others is not only in poor taste, it's violating. Even when what you're sharing is a glowing testimonial from a client, it's best to ask them if you can use their words - especially online. It may not have been their intent to have their feelings available for public consumption. Keep all of your conversations personal, unless you've been given the green light to do otherwise.

4. Gossiping

While it's tempting to be the first to break some interesting or exciting news, being first on the scene doesn't always have the best outcome. Whether it's a rumor of a company going under, the release of someone else's new offering, or some other juicy tidbit- unless you've got valid, verifiable proof (and approval) from a trusted, reliable source, don't share it.

5. Oversharing

One of the quickest ways to lose followers is to regularly clog their newsfeed with stories. Social media is a type of conversation, and like any other conversation, it's no fun when one person is doing all the talking. Oversharing doesn't give people the chance to interact with you. It dilutes the information you're putting out there, as there's no time to process it all properly, thus lessening its impact.

6. Undersharing

Undersharing, lurking, or otherwise being a shadowy figure on social media isn't any better than oversharing. In order to keep people interested, you have to keep them engaged. Drive-by posting isn't the way to achieve that. Make it a habit to post regularly. You can then use these helpful (mostly free) social media scheduling tools to keep yourself in the limelight.

7. Overselling

It's not only ok, it's expected to advertise items for sale on social media. Just don't get in the habit of using your online hangouts as a billboard. Mix in some value, too. Use the 80/20 rule; share non-advertorial information the majority of the time (80%), and share your commercial posts 20% of the time. It's a formula that works well across the board. You can also share other people's public posts and link to them. It's a really great way to get in front of another audience while sharing valuable content with your own followers. This is different from sharing content illegally. When someone shares their own story on a business site on social media, they're often hoping it gets shared. They may just return the favor and share something of yours someday.

8. Not responding to messages

Make sure you regularly check your messages on social media. People don't like to wait for a response. Because life gets busy and we don't always have time to check every social media venue every day, having a failsafe in place is helpful. You can do this by customizing your notifications with each venue. Ask the site to send you an email when someone sends you a direct message so you're sure to see it.

9. Allowing your emotions to get the best of you

Unfortunately, rudeness is no stranger to the online world. People tend to be more brazen when behind a computer screen. As such, they may leave negative reviews or comments on your public pages. It's always hurtful when someone posts something like that. Before you act, take a breath and employ the 30-second rule. Calm down so you can respond as rationally as possible.

Depending on how offensive the comment is, you have a variety of recourse. You can take the comment down without incident, you can ban the person, report them, you can respond (though do so professionally even though it'll be realllly hard), or you can private message them to try to get to the bottom of things. It all depends on what's said and in what context. Each incident will have to be handled on a case by case basis.

Retaliating, no matter how tempting at the time, will surely backfire and reflect poorly on you. Keeping a level head and before you know it, you'll have forgotten the comment. Some good can even come of it; you may gain some new champions who come to your rescue and have more respect for you for handling it in such a mature fashion.

10. Posting ads on other peoples pages or in groups

As a member of several online groups and a Facebook group host myself, it can be frustrating to see people continually plugging themselves and their offerings while taking no interest in anyone else's posts. If you're in a group, the idea is to network and share. It's not a one-way street. And it's not a free advertising venue. Pay attention to the group rules and share accordingly or you risk being banned, or at the very least, disliked. If you're viewed as someone who is only there for themselves, you won't be gaining new customers, either.

As a consumer, you know that buyers in the market for anything are always looking for helpful people willing to lend a hand, even when it doesn't benefit them. You can make yourself that person by commenting and posting about things selflessly. The effects will certainly come back around eventually, and is likely to net you new followers and customers of your own. And that's what groups are all about.

11. Adding people to groups without permission

Speaking of groups... few things annoy me more on social media than being added to a group without my permission. Inviting people to join a group is perfectly acceptable. It puts the choice in the hands of the potential member, letting their opinion count in the matter. To me, adding someone to a group without notifying or asking them is not only unprofessional, it's assumptive and rude. Please don't do it.

12. Spamming other peoples popular posts

When someone writes a post on any social media venue, they're looking for engagement or feedback. What they're not looking for is someone to use it as a chance to showcase themselves and their business. If you see an inquiry that you just know you could address with your solutions or offerings, then offer words of encouragement or helpful tips. You might even private message them letting them know you can help if they're interested. But whatever you do, don't hijack their post with an unsolicited link back to your services. If they ask what you do after you offer a helpful comment, then feel free to respond with a link. Otherwise, it's just plain tacky.

13. Being passive aggressive

I really dislike when people post cryptic, blanket comments that are clearly designed to speak to (take a shot at) a particular individual or group. To me, it shows that you have a lack of confidence in your opinion. Otherwise you'd state it directly to the intended recipient where you have a chance to open a dialogue to hash things out maturely.

14. Adding customers as friends on your personal Facebook account

When I first started on Facebook, I reached the 5,000 friend mark pretty quickly. That's because I accepted every single request out there. It didn't matter if it was a customer or a complete stranger. What eventually happened was that I had a large gathering of a totally disjointed group with no common thread. I didn't know what to post and I didn't know who I was sharing with. It was a terrible idea all around. I wound up closing the account down and starting a new one where I accept only those whom I know and trust.

If you've got a customer who sends a friend request, kindly direct them to become a fan of your page. When I receive friendship requests from customers or strangers use a canned response that you can feel free to use yourself. It reads "Thank you for your friend request. I have opted to keep my personal page for close friends and family only, although I would love it if you could join me on my business page (link) so we can connect there." SO far it's been working like a charm because most people can relate to (and respect) the whole privacy thing.

15. Using Profanity

I know a lot of people (including some of the 'big names') out there freely throw around expletives in their public posts, but it's just never been my thing. Swearing and using harsh language for shock factor isn't how I want to be known professionally. As a wordsmith, I just feel there are better ways to utilize the English language to drive a point home, especially when you're representing yourself and your business to the world.

16. Not paying attention to your stats/insights

If you don't know who you're talking to, you're just talking. Knowing who your audience is and what they want is imperative to the success of your business. Paying attention to your stats and analytics is a non-negotiable, not just on your website but on social media. If you're a Pinner, check out Boardbooster. It's a great tool for Pinterest users. And, a while back we shared some of our favorite social media tools for other social media sites. You can find them here and here.

17. TMI

For those unfamiliar with the acronym, TMI stands for 'too much information'. Social media is a fantastic place to share your story both in pictures and in words, and you should absolutely share some select bits about yourself in an effort to connect with your right people. The main reason is that it's difficult for people to humanize a brand when they're 'all business'. Creating a brand persona is a far more effective way to endear people to you and your business. Just be aware of how much you're giving away. (Don't put yourself or your family at risk by sharing too much information about your whereabouts.)

Just because you have an audience, doesn't mean it's the stage to air your dirty laundry or seek validation on something that set you off. While being mildly controversial can sometimes be a good thing (as noted above), steer clear of complaining about your neighbor, a customer, or any other errant incident that ruffled your feathers. Negativity draws more negativity and you don't need a post loaded with comments to commiserate or validate your emotions. You're not getting anything from it, so in the end, who's really benefitting? No one.

18. Bashing competitors

Speaking ill of other providers is not the way to win people over. Even when your thoughts are seemingly completely valid (sometimes, maybe even warranted), there's no good reason for you to be the purveyor of negative information about another person's business. You may have the best of intentions in trying to help a potential customer from making what you believe to be a mistake, but in the end it'll be their decision to vet and settle on a company they feel is right for them. If you really want to secure a customer, do so on your own merits. Show they why you're a better choice. Play up your features, but more so, focus on the results and benefits you can offer.

19. Using someone else's hashtag

Did you know that some hashtags are actually trademarked? I was surprised to hear about that, myself. Trademark infringement can mean big trouble for you and your business. Even when it's completely unintentional, using someone else's content is not only unethical, it's illegal. Before you create a hashtag, make sure it's safe to use. We talked more about that, here.

20. Comparing yourself to others

This is one of the big ones. Comparison on any level has a way of robbing you of your confidence and stunting your progress. You can (and should) peek on on competitors every now and then, but don't try to measure yourself against them. You're each on your own journey. Trying to parallel the two simply doesn't make sense on any level. Keep forging your own path and speaking to your right people as you serve your true calling. As Sinéad so famously said, 'nothing compares to you'.