Social media marketing guidelines usually present long lists of amazing things to post on social media platforms. But very few explicitly talk about the unwritten rules of the business. What are the things that you should not post on a company’s community page? Check out this list. Hoaxes. It’s easier said than done, most of the time. We see a very interesting article that everybody is sharing, and just clicking the share button is tempting. But falling for a hoax can happen to the best of us. Most of us do a categorization of our social media contacts based on their reliability, and once the information comes from someone we trust, it is easy to forget that we need to check the veracity of the source as well as the content, especially if we are going to share it not as an individual but as a business. A quick visit to snopes.com can debunk some of the most well-known and established myths. In addition, if something does not appear on major news websites, this should raise a red flag. The rule is unless it’s something that the content manager experienced first-hand, some degree of investigation should be conducted. Off-the-record quotes. If the source specifically noted that the information he is sharing is off-the-record, it means you should not quote him on a material that will be released to the public. If it’s something you really want to feature (say, something positive that a celebrity said about your brand), then ask for a written permission to be quoted. Otherwise, you are just asking for a lot of legal trouble. Anything with the competitor on it. Your company’s social media marketing platform is among the few spaces in the world where you can talk about your brand at length. Take great care not to give your competition additional exposure at your expense. If you are sharing an image, check the background for their logo. If it’s a news or feature article, check if you unwittingly mentioned their buzzwords or their tagline. It can, and does happen. More subtly, try not to use their colors – stick to your own palette as described in your corporate communications and visibility guidelines. Profane, anti-poor, racist, misogynist, and/or homophobic language. Like most other companies, you want your brand to be associated with positive feelings, not negativity. Carefully screen your material for foul language, for controversial or outright bigoted statements made about race, gender, and class. For this purpose, you should probably hold a comprehensive sensitivity training for your content managers. As has been said many times, in this age, a slur can easily damage your reputation not just in your market, but to a global audience. Learn more about the rules of social media marketing by working with our seasoned professionals at GreyBox Creative. Our team will be more than glad to walk you through the process of developing all kinds of marketing materials for your brand – ones that will surely catch the eye of your target market.
Social Media Marketing: What Not to Post
