Professionalism On Social Media: 12 Do’s and Don’t’s
The extent of your brand used to be strictly face-value, but times have changed, and social media is very much in the mix.
Are you supporting your image and business, by acting professionally on social media?
Not only to serve your audience with consistent value but also to attract and retain new viewers.
If a user lands on your Facebook page and notices you haven’t posted in the past three months, they’ll sooner navigate away than give you a “like.”
Shorthand or internet “slang” might be fun for the kids, but not a working professional. Even a simple “LOL” could knock the credibility of your account a few notches.
Save that stuff for your personal accounts and always double check your grammar and spelling before posting!
They’re cute and fun, but have no business on your professional profiles!
Depending on your business and clientele, you might be able to get away with a smiley or well-intentioned emoji, on occasion, but use them sparingly!
If you wouldn’t say it out loud, definitely don’t post it! You might feel a bit braver behind the comfort of your screen, but keep it appropriate.
This includes “liking” and sharing posts — your actions will pop up on your friends’ timelines. Be smart!
Avoid emotionally-charged topics, including politics, religion or “touchy” social issues. There is an exception if your business or brand revolves around one of the aforementioned topics.
But there’s still a way to share your views tastefully; that includes avoiding profanity or putting down others of conflicting views. You can always respectfully disagree without “dissing” another’s perspective.
Would you put a picture of yourself in a swimsuit, cocktail in hand on your resume? Probably not! Opt for photos that show you at your best — smiling, happy, surrounded by your friends, family or peers.
It’s a great idea to show yourself at professional events, speaking engagements and book signings, to enhance the credibility of your business. Sharing personal photos also adds a human touch!
If you get a request from someone you don’t know, it’s probably wise not to accept instantly. The reason being, you never know the intentions of a stranger.
They could post harmful or negative comments on your page, thus leading to unnecessary drama. You should maintain the mentality of “quality over quantity,” when it comes to your friend list.
Post on topics you’re passionate about! Share your own content or that of a trusted or esteemed peer. Link interesting videos or images, to switch it up!
Got a friend, who is doing amazing things? Tell the world about it — spread the good vibes! People love to see you supporting others.
It gives a distinctly personal flair to your page and makes people like and trust you. Chances are, your friends will be super willing to return the favor and promote you on their pages!
Check your privacy settings whenever opening a new account. Definitely, have a look at your tagging settings, so you maintain control of who can tag you in photos and posts; that way, if you deem something inappropriate or not suitable for your brand, you can hide it from your profile.
Facebook, for example, offers simple-to-use message templates to send to your friends, if you’d like them to remove or untag you from an inappropriate post.
You can spend countless hours retyping and rehashing a post, but what’s the point?! Your social media accounts are important to building your professional platform, but they’re certainly not worth losing sleep over!
Keep it simple and don’t stress the small stuff.
Once you’ve built your platform, go out embody it! Connect with people in real life, book speaking engagements, write your book, build your business, go to networking events and make good on the image you’ve created for yourself.
Social media is a small facet of who you are, and what your business represents — there’s still plenty of work to be done on the ground!
Our Do’s and Don’t’s may seem obvious, but it doesn’t hurt to have a friendly reminder now and then. Hopefully, you even learned something new!
Keep in mind, your personal list of Do’s and Don’t’s may vary, depending on the nature of your business and your clients — you know your business best, so do what feels right.
Did we miss any important social media Do’s and Dont’s? Let us know in the comments below!