I’m someone who spends a great deal of time on social media. I have to–it’s my job. And there are days when I shake my head… and wonder “what were they thinking when they posted that??”

Friends are, of course, a different ballgame than businesses. You have to be really strategic as a business regarding what you post. You have to be aware of things like frequency, types of posts, and how many of them are about you, or not about you.

It’s not all about you! One of the most common mistakes many businesses make is that they believe they should only be posting about themselves. All the time. Social media is social, and that means there needs to be a great deal of back-and-forth. It’s perfectly fine curate other people’s content for your social media, as long as that content is related to your business in some way. And don’t forget to ask questions–I always use the analogy of going on a first date–no one likes to be on a date with someone who does nothing but talk about themselves!

Don’t bleed the feed! Use a scheduling tool like Hootsuite or Buffer or Facebook’s scheduler to put some time  and space between your posts. Study your analytics to figure out what optimal posting times are, and schedule your updates for those times. Posting 5 things in a row is a big turn-off.

Failing to plan. How often will you post to each of your social media? Where will that content come from? I always recommend having a calendar of posting, it’s the best way to stay on track and make sure you’re covered.

Too many shiny objects. It’s easy, in this time, when there are new social networks being launched all the time, to go running off after some new shiny thing. But master the basics first: an e-newsletter or a blog, Facebook and Twitter. Then think about Instagram and/or Pinterest (if your business is highly visual), video, etc.

DON”T fake it. As tempting as it may be to buy followers, it’s a big mistake. None of those accounts are real–exactly zero of them will convert to actual paying customers. A smaller audience of engaged people is worth way more than thousands of fake followers.

Chill with the hashtags. I basically don’t use them at all on Facebook. They have very little utility there. I try to keep them to about 3 on tweets, and load them at the end if possible, and not in the body of the tweet. On Instagram, the rule of thumb is around 7-10.

Here’s today’s great infographic on these 8 Social Media Don’ts.

Infographic courtesy of Digital Marketing Philippines