The things not to do on social media in 2020

The internet has many facets to it, including the world of social media with its numerous platforms. Social media has become an integral part of society, be it through influencing political debate, sharing images of delicious lunches or checking up on your favourite influencer’s latest posts. It’s massive, and virtually everyone is on social media in 2020.

Whether it’s through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok, numerous businesses are on social media promoting the services they offer and trying to establish a community of followers to strengthen their brand too. There’s an array of different companies on there also. The likes of Nike, Adidas and other world-renowned brands in the sporting world have a massive following on social media, food companies sharing images around the latest vegan trends, and smaller, local businesses aiming to spread the word around their company. It’s a vitally important tool for most businesses, although not every brand is using it correctly. In fact, we’ve had some horror stories from over the years.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some things you shouldn’t do on social media in 2020 and beyond.

Be out of touch

There’s nothing worse than coming across as a cringeworthy father in front of his teenage daughter’s friends on social media, which is why it pays to avoid any awkwardness and stay on top of any trends in the world and online. It’s also worth staying in the know so you can interact with your community of followers, while also sharing relevant, on trend content.

Posting insensitive content

This is an obvious one, but we’ve seen countless brands fail at this by posting insensitive content, perhaps a joke or what they felt was a harmless remark to a follower. To avoid any backlash and essentially damage to your brand, try not to go near any potentially sensitive and controversial topics. Play it safe, basically.

Confusing a business with a personal account

Another obvious one, but once again we’ve seen numerous blunders of this type in recent times, with social media managers forgetting to switch to their personal account before sharing a personal post on their work’s social media account. Not only can it be hugely harmful to a brand, but some people have shared completely unsuitable messages on a work account. To avoid this, always double-check you’re signed out of your work’s social media profile before posting a picture of your holiday in Bermuda.

Getting angry at negativity

Negative comments and barrages of abuse come with the territory of being on social media as you’re essentially opening a brand up to feedback, be it positive or negative, from all over the world. It’s important, though, that you always remain professional on there. Whether it’s an abusive tweet or a rude Instagram comment, try to solve any problems instead of reacting negatively.

Sloppy posting

Always edit your social media posts and check for things such as grammatical errors, tautology and any typos. It’s amazing how many big brands don’t. Not only does it look bad, but it has the potential to turn people off too.

Forgetting your mission to enrich your followers’ lives

People won’t follow your business on social media if it brings nothing to the table. Joining the social media revolution as a business should be about establishing an online community, strengthening your overall brand, and doing that by sharing interesting and relevant information that will keep people glued to your posts. Always keep that in mind when formulating a content plan.

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