The content you post online builds your online presence, more so if you’re a brand. Your ‘voice’ on the internet is your content. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, blog – all of these are just mediums for you to put yourself out there and get yourself heard. It is essential that your online strategy, for personal use or professional, is well-planned. So what are the common mistakes that people do that you should avoid?
What constitutes a bad online presence?
Here are 6 mistakes that people make, which makes them and their brand look bad online.
Plagiarism
It is very easy to blatantly copy content from other blogs, copy tweets or videos without giving proper credit to the owner of said content – but that’s exactly what gives you a bad name in the online community. Plagiarism is big mistake which can not only get you in trouble but also tarnish your name. If you’re a brand, you are most likely aware of the importance of content marketing. Make sure whatever content is posted or shared by your company is completely original or gives proper credit to the owner or is copyright-free.
Spelling mistakes
Spelling errors, no matter how unintentional (blame the auto correct), is a common mistake which makes you look bad online. Made a typo? Delete the social media post or edit the content as soon as you come across the mistake. Proofreading anything you publish is a must. Spelling errors also makes your brand look careless or negligent which are not the qualities you’re going for. It’s the little things that matter the most sometimes.
Email Etiquette
Going back and forth with your client through email is a great way to stay in touch and discuss ideas. Apart from spelling errors, a common mistake that people make is forgetting to attach a file which is then followed with an apologetic second email. This is alright if the exchange is purely personal but in professional settings, forgetting to attach files more than once can make you look unprofessional. Keep your text concise and stick to the point in email. Here are 15 Email best practices that you can incorporate in your daily life.
Content that can get you fired
This includes things like posting about your crazy night out with your friends from your company’s account by mistake, posting racist or sexist content, bullying online, bad-mouthing your current or previous job or just being plain rude to others. What you post online has a way to stay there forever even if you delete it. Posting such content is a huge mistake if you want to keep your job and also if you want to be a good human being.
Promoting too much
A brand needs to promote, but is there something called promoting too much? Yes! Find a good balance of posts which are funny, interesting and worthy of being shared, as well as your product’s promotions. This will let your audience know that you’re not money hungry and you genuinely want to share good quality content.
Auto DMs on Twitter
The feature of ‘Auto DM’ is one of my biggest my social media pet peeves. It gives a very robotic feel to your account where instead it should be the exact opposite. If you’re the social media manager for a business, remember that people do not want to be harassed with your product promotion as soon as they follow you, especially not an automated one. People will only listen to you if you are a ‘person’ and not a robot. If you really want to connect with your followers, message them personally and get to know them.
These were some of the most common mistakes that people tend to make online. Have you made any of these too? Comment below!
![Email Etiquette : 15 Tips And Best Practices [Infographic]](https://i0.wp.com/thenickyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/email-marketing-etiquette.jpg?resize=40%2C40&ssl=1){kind=small}
nice post