There are plenty of social media mistakes that are sure to get you unfriended and unfollowed. Whether you’re using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram or any number of the hundreds that are available, here are 5 mistakes you can avoid:

When using social media as a small business or business owner, you have to remember that you’re representing your business 24/7. So if your posts are annoying, spammy, or unprofessional, guess what? Your clients will see you that way.

Here are 5 common social media mistakes you should avoid:

• Posting too often. This is different for every site, but the basic idea is that no follower, friend or client wants their whole feed filled with your content. That seems pushy and inorganic. You don’t want to be like that annoying 14-year-old who tweets every second of his day and retweets everyone who replies to him. That guy gets unfollowed.

• Posting too little. Saying nothing is not the point of social media, either. Make the most of your social media posts, and time them so they are visible to the majority of your followers. Check out this useful slideshow on data on the best times to post on different platforms. That will help maximize the eyes on your posts without being annoying.

• Being inaccessible. Don’t break out legal-speak or jargon that’s only understandable to people in your field. You want to reach the most people with your posts, and that means a conversational style and friendly approach to interactions with others.

• Being inauthentic. When people interact with you on social media, especially if it’s customer-service related, be helpful, friendly, and nice–don’t act like a corporate robot whose legal department reviews its dialogue. Avoid scripts, and don’t schedule out a bunch of posts and then neglect logging in till next week. Be available to your customers and followers.

• Spamming your followers. That means, don’t tweet a bunch of people you don’t know asking them to share your link, don’t use hallmarks of spam posts like ALL CAPS and too many !!!, and don’t use thirty hashtags on one post just to raise its visibility. Use them wisely, use them humorously, just don’t use them to annoy people.

Keeping all these social media mistakes in mind, the key to successful social media relationships with your followers is originality, personality and authenticity. Treat everyone like you’d treat your closest friends (This doesn’t mean over-sharing personal photos or details), and keep your posts professional and interesting to your audience.

For personal advice on how to improve your social media presence, contact us.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to check out these others:

5 Tips to Get More Visitors to Your Website
The Five “Deadly Sins” of Social Media
7 Steps to Help Your Business “Get Found” on the Web
15 Website Mistakes You Should Avoid (Part 1)
Tips for Working at Home (Part 1)
Are You Charging Enough for Your Services?
How to Make Social Media Marketing Work for Your Business
Is There Still Gold in Cold Calling

This article is published by Will Sherwood | The Sherwood Group |Website Design | Graphic Design | Marketing Communications: The Sherwood Group has over 30 years of experience working with all sorts of companies, small and large. Our clients range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, in nearly every business sector, from across the street to around the world (and yes, even Europe, China, and South America). Our goal is to create advertising,  graphic design, website design, and marketing communication that still looks fresh and relevant 10-15 years later. Our mission is to stir your imagination and leave your competition shaken and wondering,  Now what do we do?”  We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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