4 Social Media Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Reputation

Social media is one of the top brand-building platforms employed by businesses across the world today. When done right, it can establish a loyal following of brand ambassadors and a positive reputation for years to come.

On the other hand, improper etiquette can have the opposite effect, and your reputation can suffer. To prevent the latter from happening, it”s important to avoid these four mistakes.

1. Too many or not enough posts

A common mistake that companies make when starting to promote themselves on social media is not achieving the optimal posting frequency. Clogging followers” feeds with excessive content is the perfect way to annoy your audience and turn them off.

Posting only once in a blue moon can also be detrimental, because it suggests a lack of engagement and that you”re not truly invested in your campaign. That”s why it”s crucial to find the right balance and provide a steady stream of content.

Since the ideal frequency of posts can differ from network to network, you”ll have to find the proper level for the platform. For example, it”s common for businesses to tweet a few times a day on Twitter, while many companies will only post once or twice a week on Google+.

Finding the right balance should maximize your follower count and improve your reputation. If you only have a minimal amount of time to spend on social media each week, it”s better to maintain only one or two accounts rather than more. Then you can dedicate more time to the ones you have, and not have barren accounts looking like they haven”t been visited in weeks.

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2. Being overly self-serving

While the entire point of being active on social media is to gain exposure and attract new customers, it shouldn”t only be about you. To truly build a community, it”s necessary to highlight others and share outside resources that will add value to your followers” lives.

Thus, you shouldn”t fall into the trap of posting nothing but promotional material about your business. It can come across like you”re greedy and only thinking about yourself. You”re better off incorporating a mix of industry information and occasionally showcasing other companies, preferably ones in your industry that are not direct competitors.

This can sometimes lead to new contacts and businesses will return the favor.

3. Lack of quality

Whenever a person decides to follow a brand, he or she expects to be informed and/or entertained. The last thing a person wants is mediocre or boring content that serves no real purpose.

That”s why doing the bare minimum won”t suffice, and will eventually dilute your brand. Ideally, you”ll find ways to incorporate your unique personality into posts and offer new insights. This doesn”t mean you have to reinvent the wheel; just provide a steady stream of fresh content that competitors may be lacking.

Inevitably, this should result in more social shares, which can help with getting you noticed on search engines.

4. Not being responsive

When someone leaves a comment on your profile, it”s important to respond as quickly as possible. Letting any longer than 24 hours pass may create resentment and leaves the impression you don”t really care about the input you”re receiving.

Even though it can be arduous at times, it”s wise to check accounts for comments as often as possible and respond accordingly. This shows that you”re active and value what your audience has to say. You can streamline this process by setting accounts to notify you automatically every time a new comment is posted.