I’ll admit it — my own social media accounts sometimes get ignored in favor of my clients’. While I know the benefits of having an active social presence (and tell my clients about them regularly), I have a hard time keeping up with my own after a long day.
However, I do keep up when I can. Instagram is my favorite platform, followed by Twitter and LinkedIn. One of the main things I do is keep an eye on my follower count, so that I decide whether or not I want to follow them back.
That said, I tend to rule out most people who follow me in less than a minute.
For me, social media is about making connections. That means that I’m more than happy to follow back other freelancers, business owners, and potential clients. I like seeing the content that they post, engaging with them and hopefully opening the door for future conversations.
But there are some red flags that clue me into the fact that a certain account won’t give me the connection I’m looking for, and that the person behind it (if they are a person) probably won’t even look at the content I post.
An Incomplete Profile
Honestly, I don’t even bother looking at someone’s profile if they don’t have a picture. If you couldn’t take the time to find an icon, it shows that you probably won’t be on the account very much.
Likewise, if you can’t be bothered to fill out the description section, or at least direct me to your main site, I won’t be very inclined to reach out and ask. And neither will anyone else. If people can’t see what value they’re going to get from following immediately, they won’t bother.
A profile does not take all that long to fill in and doesn’t require constant maintenance like posts do. You really have no excuse not to fill it out.
Differing Interests
Maybe this is just personal preference, but if I can’t tell what it is you do, I won’t be following back.
When I look at someone’s profile, I try to figure out why they followed me. If you don’t have anything on your account about freelancing, or business, or anything that even remotely indicates why you wanted to connect with me, I’m going to assume that you probably won’t.
If you are following from a personal account for whatever reason, a quick message explaining who you are and why you wanted to connect goes a long way.
No Original Content
Retweets, reposts, or whatever the platform’s equivalent is are great! I like to see an account engaging with other people’s posts, because it makes me think that maybe you’ll engage with my posts, too.
But if retweet is all you do, I get a little suspicious. It makes an account seem less human. And since bots are a very real thing on social media (and a complete waste of time), I’m going to be wary of anything that seems like it might be one.
Retweets are easy, so I understand the appeal. But don’t let them become the only thing you do.
Too Much Advertising
Again, I’m not telling you that you can’t promote your newest blog or product on your social media. In fact, I encourage you to!
But if you aren’t tempering that with other kinds of posts, it can get very obnoxious, very quickly.
A good social account should be a healthy mix of promotion, sharing other content, and miscellaneous. For me, that means that I sometimes post about my work process or my cats (Instagram is especially good for that, which is probably why I like it so much). For others, it might mean a behind the scenes look into their business.
Social media is a powerful tool. Make sure you’re using it to your fullest potential. If you can’t manage it on your own, it’s time to hire a professional who can help.
