Social Media 101: 5 Do's and Don'ts for Beginners

If you're posting content on #SocialMedia on behalf of an organization or business for the first time, it can feel a little scary. Don't worry - I'm here to help! Social media is a big, ever-changing experiment, but here are some tried-and-true tips that have stood the test of time. This advice will help you avoid common pitfalls when creating posts.

Do:

1. Make it accessible.

You could make the world's most beautiful post, but if the people it reaches can't understand it, was it worth the effort? Making your social media posts accessible is my number one piece of advice because, unfortunately, it too often becomes an afterthought. Meta estimates that roughly 85% of people view videos on Facebook with their sound turned off. They also estimate that adding closed captions to videos increases view times by an average of 25%. It's not only about accessibility- it just makes business sense. I highly recommend burning your captions into your videos and placing them so that any automated text overlays from the platforms are not causing interference. This ensures a smooth enduser experience and will also avoid any spelling mistakes caused by automated captions (wouldn't it be embarrassing if your name, product, or service appears incorrect on your own post?). You can also make your content more friendly for people who are using adaptive screen reading technologies by adding alternative text descriptions to your images, avoiding stylized fonts, capitalizing the first letter of every word in hashtags and @ mentions, and keeping emojis and ASCII art to a minimum. Accessible Social is a well thought-out and free to use resource that can help you delve into this topic on granular level: https://www.accessible-social.com/.

2. Make it relatable.

Social media is about, well, being social. Include content in your mix that is made for others to see themselves in. It should be something that will help start a conversation on a very human level, creating an opportunity for followers to comment and share their perspectives.

3. Make it shareable.

Most organizations view social media as a way to spread awareness and create brand recognition. People are more likely to share pieces that they find entertaining or that will help educate others about something they are experiencing than they are blatant marketing pieces. This is key to designing overall viral moments.

4. Make it authentic.

There's only one you, and only you can tell your story. You are the subject matter expert. Own it! While it's a good idea to keep tabs on the competition, don't take too much inspiration from what they are doing.

5. Make it timely.

It's a good idea to keep a calendar of upcoming cultural moments, company drive-times, and initiatives that your organization can take part in to ensure that you never miss an important moment. Keeping an eye on social media trends can also help create unique and memorable branding moments.

Don't:

1. Bootleg it.

Images, videos, and text that are uploaded to social media and websites are not typically fair-use. You could be putting your organization at risk of intellectual property infringement and legal action by doing so. Additionally, you may find that your posts are taken down and your account is restricted due to copyright strikes by the platforms you are uploading bootlegged content to. If you see another account post something that your followers would find value in, the best thing to do is to quote share it and add your own insights in the post text.

2. Farm it.

While encouraging people to comment and engage with your content isn't a bad strategic approach to take, "hate farming" and "rage farming" (the act of posting purposefully contentious or anger-inducing content) can result in an overall negative brand image and, in extreme cases, negative PR. Similarly, buying followers and comments can easily backfire. These are typically driven by fake accounts which are frequently removed from platforms.

3. Disconnect it.

Remember where you came from. Remember the people and organizations that you support. Remember who you've worked with. It's great to talk about the work you're doing the community and the organizations that you're supporting, but don't forget to tag them and make sure that their stories and voices are shining through. Keeping everything connected will help you grow your network.

4. Overcomplicate it.

You have milliseconds to stop someone's thumbs from scrolling on in their feed. Keep your images simple and bold, and use engaging hooks for your videos to quickly earn attention. If you pack too much into one post, people are more likely to scroll on by.

5. Neglect it.

Building an engaged community takes time. Don't give up if you don't see immediate results. Experiment to find out what your followers like, and keep an eye out for slow but steady growth. A little bit of planning can go a long way, and can help you keep yourself accountable with posting regularly.

Looking to connect with the author on an article or speaking engagement? Fill out this form.

Follow Fey on LinkedIn for more social media advice - no gimmicks, no paywalls, no sales pitches.