You’ve read plenty of blog posts on how to use social media for your business, but do you have tips on what NOT to do? Here are a few to keep in mind when you’re spending time crafting your content calendar and proofreading those posts before you hit “Publish”:

• Do NOT use social media solely for sales. Think about it. Social media was created to share the fun moments of your life, keep in touch with family and friends, and get connected with new people. Over time, social media has become an important tool for business, but that doesn’t mean you should be shouting about your products and services constantly. 🙂 Your business’ social media presence should be helping you build relationships with your current and potential followers. People need to buy into your brand and your purpose before they buy into your business.
• Do NOT sacrifice quality for quantity. Many experts say you should post on Instagram daily, tweet 3-5 times per day, pin 20-30 pieces of content on Pinterest per week, etc. My advice? Never, ever, ever let these benchmark numbers sacrifice the quality of your content. If it’s realistic for you to post 3 engaging, fun, aesthetic images on Instagram per week, do that, and do it consistently. Don’t post daily just for the sake of getting your name out there every 24 hours, unless you can ensure your quality is on point every time.
• Do NOT create an account for every single social media channel. Find out which channels make the most sense for your business. Just because your primary and secondary competitors are on Twitter, doesn’t necessarily mean you should be. This goes hand in hand with my point above, “quality > quantity”. It’s better to have a clear sense of who you’re talking to on ONE channel, rather than shouting to the masses on every single social media channel created. 🙂

When creating content for your business, think about it through the lens of a customer. What do they want to see? Chances are, they don’t want a sales pitch if they’re scrolling through social media apps to escape the stress of their day. They want something meaningful, valuable, pleasing, and helpful. Keep it simple!