Things to avoid on Social Media.

It may be very important to know the kind of things you should be doing on social media to give you the best returns on your effort, but knowing what not to do will also stand you in good stead as sometimes, social media can be very unforgiving.

Social media is very much a part of life for many of us and the way we use it is being adapted to how we currently live our own lives, it is being designed to fit in with our everyday agendas. What we must remember though that unlike us being down the local bar and gossip taking place that remains within the four walls,what happens on social media doesn’t stay on social media unlike in the popular city of Las Vegas. Thinking on the business side of things, the right message can travel far and wide and increase brand awareness, but so can the wrong message and with it can come not only negative comments and a drop in following, but it can devalue your brand and even land you in legal issues.

So, what type of things should we look to steer clear of when using social media to make sure that we stay on the positive and safe road of social media. * I would add, that there are those of us that are very clever and work on the basis of using negative PR to gain the necessary brand awareness, but for the rest of us:

  • Confrontational Topics. The usual suspects of religion, politics and football should be topics you may need to think through thoroughly before either starting or getting involved with on social media. Though each of the topics are freedom of speech, they usually can become heated and rarely conclude as people always have different opinions and like to express their thoughts. Nothing wrong with any of the topics above and with a thought through approach, you can make new connections and new friends, but be warned that even if you have the most sincere of opinions, it is still likely to offend someone, somewhere.
  • Copyright content. With more and more people using social media, the search for unique content increases as does the temptation to use content already out there done by someone else. Make sure that when you do use the likes of images, videos or blog content, that you have either permission from the original creator or that the content is listed as free to use (you can search Google for content that has given you permission to share and for commercial re-use).
  • Private conversations. Make sure that you keep personal and private conversations away from social media or at least, use direct messages instead. It may be obvious, but avoid firing people, stating people’s salaries or when they are on holiday, direct complaints or feedback to person and using bad or hard language. Remember, that what you place on social media not only can be seen by your followers, but has the potential to be seen by the followers of your followers, ie it can go viral.
  • Spamming. We should all know by now that spamming in any form is not a clever way of doing marketing and should be left to the SEO companies based in India. Though many of us reject spammers, lot’s still use social media in a similar way without realising they are doing so. Avoid direct messages which as merely urging people to click links or take up offers, do not simply post updates which as sales only and try not to tempt people in to clicking on a URL with a catchy update only to direct people to a sales orientated page. Think 80/20 rule when promoting your products and services, 20% is considered a recommended amount of your overall updates to be sales focused.

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Brexit housing market winners and losers

England can’t keep pace with the other home nations And the south of England falls well behind the north   The latest research from Yopa has revealed a stark regional divide in house price growth since the Brexit referendum (June 23rd 2016), with Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and northern England recording some of the strongest…
Read More
Breaking News

The Rental Market is Rebalancing

But 78% of Tenants Still Can’t Find What They’re Looking For Nine in ten landlords believe the balance of power in the rental market has shifted in favour of tenants over the last two years – yet a quarter of tenants still feel landlords hold the upper hand, according to new research from LRG. The…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Dispelling the top five biggest letting agent myths

Sophie Danes, Group Director of Property Management, Lomond   This year has seen the introduction of the seismic Renters’ Rights Act (RRA) as well as other changes affecting the private rented sector (PRS) coming into force, such as the rollout of Making Tax Digital (MTD). As a result, more than ever before, there is a lot of information and speculation surrounding the sector making…
Read More
Breaking News

A fifth of Gen Z would move 25 miles or more for affordable housing

Price is the top priority listed by Gen Z for finding a home (24 per cent), with location the aspect most compromised for affordability (21 per cent) Barclays Mortgage data shows the average deposit fell -16.4 per cent year-on-year in May, however it remains the top barrier to homeownership reported by renters Nine in 10…
Read More
AI in estate agency letting agency property
Breaking News

Can AI-powered search platform push out Rightmove for renters?

Boss of global architecture firm takes on Rightmove with AI-powered search platform where renters describe where they want to live An AI-powered start-up launched by the former boss of a major architecture business wants to disrupt the duopoly of Rightmove and Zoopla by enabling renters to find homes by using normal everyday language – as…
Read More
Breaking News

Midlands sees largest property management fees increase

The latest research from Rushbrook & Rathbone has found that property management fees in the Midlands have increased by an estimated 53.9% over the past decade, the fastest rate of growth across England’s regions, highlighting a widening divide in costs between the North, Midlands, and South. The research analysed average rental values across England’s regions…
Read More