Bad social media: what pleases or annoys you about it?

Bad social media....before we answer the question from a business context, we want to take a look at our individual experiences of social media. Doing so will hopefully provide lessons you can implement to avoid a bad social media campaign.

Your personal experience of bad social media

UK author Charles Leadbeater gives us a simple starting point when he said: “You are what you share.” Therefore, when you are active on social media, people who don't know you well will probably judge you based on what you post. The same goes for your business. You need to think carefully about the content you present online, so take the time to figure out the tone that reflects your brand and connects with your audience.

Consider these 'influencers'

Imagine comparing tweets from the last two US presidents. Barack Obama's language and manner were very different from Donald Trump's. Donald Trump posted frequently, often without much consideration to the impact of his words, and used a lot of capital letters and exclamation marks. Barack Obama's tweets, on the other hand, were more restrained and had a moderately positive sentiment.

Consider the positive aspects of social media

Parts of the above form a picture of what not to do! Yet marketing through social media can be a serious force for good if it's used in the right way. You've probably been exposed to heart-warming stories and inspirational people and have been thankful for the advice, help and even kindness that has been offered. It's great way of staying better connected with a larger number of people than would have been possible a decade or two ago. During the pandemic, social media has been a lifeline for many.

Using the positives in your business

So, turning from the personal to business, your own experience on whichever social media platforms you use can highlight how to behave (and, let's be frank, how not to). Aim to communicate positive, important and useful messages to both your current and potential audience. Use a language they feel comfortable with and find a frequency of posts that doesn't irritate them. Too many posts can become lost whereas too few posts can sever the link you've worked hard to build.

How can we help?

Digital analyst and author Brian Solis once said that: "Social media is about sociology and psychology more than technology." Our Mark 2 Creative team know that the latter has to operate effectively. However, the creation of engaging content is firmly connected to sociology and psychology too. Contact us now to learn more.