What are the most common social media mistakes or pitfalls that PR professionals should avoid?

1 Lack of strategy

One of the biggest mistakes PR professionals can make is to use social media without a clear strategy. This means having a defined purpose, audience, message, tone, platform, and measurement for your social media activities. Without a strategy, you risk being inconsistent, irrelevant, or ineffective in your communication. To avoid this, you need to align your social media strategy with your overall PR objectives and plan your content, channels, and tactics accordingly.

2 Ignoring feedback

Another mistake PR professionals can make is to ignore the feedback they receive from their social media followers, customers, or stakeholders. This feedback can be positive or negative, but it is always valuable for your PR efforts. Ignoring feedback can make you seem arrogant, unresponsive, or out of touch with your audience. To avoid this, you need to monitor, acknowledge, and respond to the feedback you receive on social media, and use it to improve your products, services, or messages.

3 Oversharing or undersharing

A third mistake PR professionals can make is to overshare or undershare on social media. Oversharing means posting too frequently, too personally, or too controversially on social media, which can annoy, bore, or offend your audience. Undersharing means posting too infrequently, too formally, or too blandly on social media, which can make you seem distant, irrelevant, or boring. To avoid this, you need to find the right balance and frequency of posting on social media, and tailor your content and tone to your audience and platform.

4 Not adapting to changes

A fourth mistake PR professionals can make is to not adapt to the changes that occur on social media. These changes can be related to the algorithms, features, trends, or preferences of the social media platforms or users. Not adapting to these changes can make you lose visibility, engagement, or relevance on social media. To avoid this, you need to stay updated and informed about the latest developments and best practices on social media, and adjust your strategy and tactics accordingly.

6 Forgetting the human element

A sixth mistake PR professionals can make is to forget the human element of social media. This means treating social media as a one-way or impersonal channel of communication, rather than a two-way or personal relationship with your audience. Forgetting the human element can make you seem robotic, cold, or distant on social media. To avoid this, you need to remember that behind every screen there is a human being who wants to be heard, understood, and valued. You need to show empathy, authenticity, and personality on social media, and engage with your audience in a meaningful and respectful way.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?