We’ve all had those moments when we got on social media and saw another blogger or business owner breaking one of the unspoken no-no’s of social media. You know those rules that are just kind of obvious that you shouldn’t do but there’s nothing that officially says you shouldn’t be doing the aforementioned activity.
Today I’m dishing all the details on those unspoken don’ts of social media and sharing 16 things you should stop doing on social media if you’re a blogger or business owner.
16 Things You Should Stop Doing on Social Media
1. Using irrelevant hashtags
Using irrelevant hashtags is not going to help you in the long run. Sure, if you use hashtags like #like4like or #share4share you might reach a wider audience for a little bit but they are not going to be the target audience that you’re looking to reach so your efforts will be wasted.
2. Not sharing other people’s content
Don’t be someone who only shares their own content – nobody likes that person. You’ll fare better in the long run if you make it a habit to share both yours and others content.
3. Keeping your social media profiles private
If you’re trying to use social media as a blogger or business owner and seriously grow a following, you’re doing yourself a disservice when you keep your social media profiles private. People are less likely to follow you if they don’t know what to expect from you beforehand. Also, if you get an influx of followers you’ll have to take time to approve or deny each follower and that would get old really fast.
4. Buying likes or followers
Unfortunately, you most likely know someone who has done this but I advise you not to partake in it in efforts to keep up with the Joneses. When you buy likes or followers, they won’t be engaged so you’ll have an inflated following but your engagement won’t increase so it’s basically pointless.
5. Using auto DMs on Twitter
Can I get an amen if you hate auto direct messages on Twitter? I haven’t been a fan since my early days on Twitter before I even ventured into the blogosphere but my hatred has grown even more since then. Although they can be effective on the rare occasion, you’ll most likely just annoy people so I’d recommend not using any auto DM feature if possible.
6. Not engaging with your audience
This is something that I see happen so often. People will just set up automation and then run away. It’s great that they are posting frequently but that’s only half of the battle. To really make an impact on social media, you also need to engage with your audience by responding to comments and interacting with your followers.
7. Posting just for the sake of posting
Another no-no is to post just to get a post out there. Like blogging, you want all of your content to be your very best so posting an Instagram or FB post just for the heck of it when you don’t really have anything to say isn’t necessary.
8. Not utilizing optimal post times
You are shooting yourself in the foot if you’re not utilizing your optimal post times. You need to be posting when people are online. If you post something randomly at 2 am when no one is even online, it isn’t going to be worth it because it won’t get seen.
9. Deleting negative reviews about your company
Deleting negative reviews is no good. Although it may be tempting to get rid of them, it is important to leave them up because you don’t want to deceive your audience. There are always going to be people who do not like your stuff and that’s completely okay. Embrace it and try to solve the problem, don’t try to cover it up.
10. Not catering your content to each social media platform
I’ve seen so many people just post the exact same message on every social media channel they have and it just isn’t effective. Your message needs to be tailored to each different social media channel.
11. Forgetting to double check before posting
Double checking prior to sending out your post is certainly necessary. This can help you avoid any grammatical or spelling errors. I’m sure we have all forgotten to do this before and that’s completely okay. It’s one of the lesser offenses on this list.
12. Not keeping track of your growth
When you don’t keep track of your growth, you are unable to see how far you have come. I think it’s important to track your growth each month so you can tweak your strategies if needed.
13. Using bots to auto comment on any social media
This is probably one of my biggest social media pet peeves. Using bots is not only not effective but it also looks extremely spammy and really irritates people. I have seen so many people drop a random heart or thumbs up emoji or “love this” comment on an extremely sad post.
14. Not giving credit when you use someone else’s photos
If you’re going to share someone else’s photos, at least give them credit for it. That is the very least that you can do.
15. Sharing a play-by-play of every aspect of your day
Back in the day when Facebook first became popular, people were consistently sharing every little part of their day no matter how mundane it was. Doing that as a blogger or business owner is not necessary. While you should definitely share some aspects of your day so that you can show your followers that you’re a real person, it is not necessary to over-share.
16. Not leaving genuine comments
I don’t know about you but when I receive comments like “thanks for sharing” on social media and my blog, I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes. It’s a clear indication that the person couldn’t take 5 seconds to at least skim through my post and find something to comment on. Not only is it lazy but it doesn’t reflect well on you as the poster either.
Your Turn:
I hope that you enjoyed this extensive post on some of the things you should stop doing on social media.
What’s your biggest pet peeve on social media? Please feel free to let me know down in the comments.
