What Not to Do When It Comes to Content Creation

What Not to Do When it Comes to Content Creation

When you post bad content to your social media channels, you run the risk of overshadowing all the hard work you’ve put into building your presence previously. We’re giving you a heads up on what content could be losing you followers and affecting your social presence.

Overly promotional content

The last thing you want to see on your newsfeed is content that is all “buy, buy, buy”. Applying a product forward content constantly doesn’t bring your audience any value nor does it make them feel like you’re considering what really matters to them.  

Instead of using your social platforms to broadcast, try to use them to join conversations that are already happening. Listen to what your audience is already discussing, read what influencers are writing -then pitch your content to respond to these cues.

#tip

Consider the 5-3-2 rule for every 10 posts:

• 5 posts should be sharing others’ content
• 3 posts should be- relevant content you’ve produced yourself
•  2  posts should be personal, fun and relaxed content that humanizes your brand 

Political or religious content

Religion and politics are two subject areas that people feel very strongly about. Whenever you post content that’s overtly political or religious, you’re unlikely to connect with all of your audience, and you’re bound to be either irrelevant or offensive to those who don’t share your views. This results in potentially losing half your audience and potential customers. 

Don’t shoot yourself in the foot. In most cases, this strategy doesn’t work out for brands trying to connect with their audience. 

Brand-inconsistent content

Your social media profiles are an extension of your brand and although you may be slightly restricted dependent on your social platform, you still have creative control over your brand voice and tone. Make sure that the content you publish stays as close to your brand’s styles and themes as possible. 

The same message across social networks

Although you want to maintain a consistent brand voice, it’s a mistake to post exactly the same content across all platforms.  It goes without saying that all social networks are different. They speak to different demographics for one thing, and they each lend themselves to different content.

•  LinkedIn = copy-heavy and formal
• Instagram = visual and informal
• Twitter =  bite-sized tidbits and GIFs. 
• Facebook = Informational and informal

Think about each of your social media accounts, and tailor your content to suit each one. Even if you have roughly the same thing to say, swap the creative so it’s not exactly the same. Make sure your content fits with the theme of the platform. It’s why people sign up to it. 

Unaccredited content

We’d strongly advise that you actively share other content but credit the owner when you do. So many brands copy content directly from other sources, without crediting them, it ends up looking sloppy. Not to mention the copyright infringement risks when doing so. Crediting your sources show you support like-minded individuals and brands. It brings humanisation to your brand. Next time you see some content you’d like to share, use it as an opportunity to connect. Click the “share” button on that content so that its source will automatically be included in your post. Alternatively, post the content to your profile and include the social media handle of the source.