What Social Media Missteps Should You Avoid?

Any time I go on Facebook, it’s normal for me to have at least 10 notifications from my community’s closed Facebook group – which is home to around 7,000 followers. While my parents are avid followers of this community gossip channel, I’ve started to tune it out because of the slew of social media missteps within the group.

If the lack of practicing good social media etiquette has made me disconnect with my community’s Facebook page, imagine what would happen if the same missteps happen on a brand or business page. If you’re not being intentional and taking your time when creating online content, your audience will notice. While I’ve noticed this on Facebook, the same goes for Twitter and the other social channels as well.

What missteps are important to avoid? Here are the top three offenders that can fly under the radar – taken directly from my community Facebook group.

Spelling Errors
I always find the most blatant spelling errors have been made while carelessly replying to a comment, usually in an angry haze while joining in on an argument. Make sure to take your time when writing social media posts – and please know the difference between “your” and “you’re.”

Improper Hashtags
Hashtags are great when used properly, but keep them to Twitter and Instagram. On Facebook, hashtags can’t be used to discover new content and have almost no value to help you gain followers or join in on a viral trend.  The more savvy social media users will notice this misstep almost immediately.

Sharing Without Reading
On my community page, neighbors will commonly share articles about local news or celebrities, without realizing the headline has nothing to do with the content. Not reading what you share can come across as lazy and uninformed. In today’s era of “fake news,” it’s more important than ever to make sure you source and fact-check any articles you share – or at least make sure to read them first.

Do you know someone who makes these social media missteps?