Actress Roseanne Barr recently had her ABC sitcom canceled after tweeting a racist remark. She claimed she was on Ambien, but the damage had been done. YouTube superstar Logan Paul’s brand plummeted after he posted a disturbing video of himself and friends discovering (and mocking) a dead body in Japan’s Aokigahara forest, a place known as “the suicide forest”. There are thousands of similar examples of politicians, brands, celebrities, and influencers who’ve fallen from grace after similar incidents.
How can you avoid crashing your rising star? Here are some common social media mistakes to avoid.
1. Making Spelling and Grammar Mistakes
Spellcheck exists for a reason. So do services like Grammarly. If you want to make social media your full-time job, make sure your copy is professional.
2. Forgetting That Everything Posted Online Lives Forever
Even if you delete a post, it’s still live on the internet SOMEwhere: Screenshots, archives, you name it. Before you post ANYTHING, ask yourself if you’d want to be (in)famous solely for this one post. Would your grandmother be shocked by it? What would your 9-to-5 employer think?
3. Flying Off the Handle At Commenters
We’ve all had a troll write horrible, nasty comments on our posts. It sucks. It’s tempting to respond in kind with an expletive-laced attack on the troll, we know, but DON’T.DO.IT. Block the commenter if you like, delete their comments, or do any of the other things we’ve suggested in this post on addressing drama. Just don’t yell back, okay? Take the moral high ground, and you’ll always feel better in the long run.
If you do delete comments or block a commenter, be sure to address it publicly *and politely* on your channel. Acknowledge the controversy, reiterate your stance on creating a positive, welcoming community on your channels, and move on.
4. Only Doing Sales & Sponsored Posts
MagicLinks was created to help influencers monetize their content. We don’t, however, recommend that you ONLY post monetizable content. Subscribers hate when influencers “sell out” and their channels become nothing more than a series of ads that are clearly not written by the influencer themselves. People follow you because they like what you have to say: They find you inspiring, educational, and entertaining, and they’ll buy products you recommend because of that authenticity.
Sponsored campaigns and affiliate links are fantastic, don’t get us wrong – but never lose sight of your love for creating fun social media content.
5. Not Listening To Your Followers
Engaging with your subscribers is a key part of your personal brand as an influencer. Listen to what they’re saying! While you should never totally revamp your channel just to cater to the whims of your channel, you should adjust your content and always be evolving.
6. Ignoring Data
Ever done a deep dive on your MagicLinks Performance Reports, YouTube Analytics, Instagram Insights (you’ll need to convert your IG account to a business account to do so), or other social media analytics measurement services? No? You should. It will give you a better perspective on more than just how many views, comments, or likes a post got: You’ll learn which videos performed the best; which links and stores got the most sales and clicks, how big your reach and engagement is, and other important statistics. These stats will come in handy not only for your own content strategy, but for showing brands you’re a good partner to work with.
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Hi Janet,
Thanks for the Advice, So far I’ve been a silent Pinner that got lucky through my love of fashion and everything visual. I have attempted blogging but I get carried away, so I have a deep respect for all my blogging/influencing Sisters out there who have allowed me to join there facebook groups and shared all their challenges and successes and am aware of the effect these Strange people who try to cut them with cruel and hateful comments the best way to get them back is to be successful. A common thread is a hate comes when they read of something good happening and that says a lot about these people it says there miserable so to remove their ability to pour their poison on other peoples joy by removing their voice is unbearable for them. I am sure you are aware that several groups actually keep a troll register its got to be put in the new rules for confidentiality but it comes under hateful and inflammatory clauses ok well I’ll finish my blog on your blog now : ). I have seen you about I will look you up.