Imagine this: I blindfold you, and take you into an auditorium full of 2,000 people and ask you to tell a risque joke.
Without knowing who you’re talking to, would you do it?
I hope not. What if upon taking the blindfold off, you’re looking at 2,000 blushing grandmothers? While this may sound unfathomable or a bit far fetched, it’s exactly what some brands do with their social media every day. Blindly posting content that’s not appropriate for their audience.
Before posting to any of your brand’s platforms, you have to ask yourself if that content is right for the audience. What is funny or relevant to you in your personal life may not connect with your customers or clients. In fact, it’s pretty easy to piss them off if you’re not careful. I’m repeatedly in awe of a few local businesses that post political rants on their business’ social platforms.
While content creation is very complex, here are a few things brands should consider before posting content:
Is this relevant to my brand or industry?
If it’s not relevant, you really need to think about if and why you should post it. That’s not to say you can’t post off-topic content. In fact, you should every now and then just to shake it up. Just make sure you’re staying within your brand’s voice, and that you’re building upon a connection rather than turning people off.
How serious does my tone need to be?
This is an important question, because it will dictate what type of content you should or should not post. The type of content a trendy t-shirt store or local brewery can post is far different than that of an assisted living community or health care service. Think that sounds obvious? Me, too, yet time and time again I see brands posting irrelevant – and irreverent – content.
Am I posting just for the hell of it?
Because fans can tell. Watered down content not only fails to resonate, users may associate your bland – or quite frankly, lame – content with your company. Just think of that before posting the kitten memes next time. Which brings us to my next point…
How does this reflect upon my company?
It’s the ultimate question. If you wouldn’t be willing to put this message on a print piece or your website, why put it on social? This question can quickly identify how far off topic you might be.
Of course, these are just some basic guidelines. There are times I would ignore these, and post away. If you know your brand and audience well, you can successfully venture outside of these lines. Still fuzzy on what’s acceptable? Let me know what questions you have, shoot me an email or give me a Tweet.