The leadership guide to social media etiquettes: Top 10 things to never do

Leaders today navigate a delicate balance on social media where personal actions can profoundly impact their professional image. Whether using social platforms for business promotion, advocacy, or personal branding, every post and comment holds significant weight. A leader must maintain social media etiquette. Regardless of account type—personal or business—clients scrutinise leaders' online presence.

Maintaining professionalism requires astute judgement, particularly regarding content shared on social media. Certain topics and statements, when expressed by leaders, can jeopardise credibility and relationships. Awareness of these risks is crucial. Leaders must observe social media etiquette. They must refrain from sharing contentious opinions, offensive remarks, or private information that could compromise trust or damage their reputation.

In today's digital age, what leaders say or do on social media is scrutinised by a global audience. Understanding these dynamics ensures that leaders uphold their professional integrity and effectively leverage social platforms to enhance their influence positively.

To maintain social media etiquette, let's look into some social media don'ts for leaders.

10 Social media etiquette for leaders 

1. Limit silly content: As a good leader, ensure that your witty content aligns with your brand's image. One of the social media etiquette is to avoid posting content that may offend or alienate your audience's sensibilities on social media platforms. Everyone enjoys humour on social media, but as a leader, you should limit silly content. A joke funny to you might drive potential customers away from your competition. Keep your posts professional to maintain your audience and reputation.

2. Refrain from oversharing: To avert social media issues, personal updates should be minimal and relevant to your business. Share professional milestones, not mundane personal details. Share personal news like a new baby visiting your office on your personal account. Avoid posting trivial updates like your lunch salad or a selfie with a beer at a BBQ on your business social media pages. As a leader, focus on sharing content relevant to your business goals on your business page.

3. No negative remarks about clients: Maintain social media etiquette and professionalism even post-relationship. Publicly discussing client issues reflects poorly on your business ethics. As a leader, you must avoid public statements or online arguments on social media platforms even if the business relationship ended badly. If they post about you, handle it separately.

4. Diversify your content: A leader should balance promotional posts with industry news, expert opinions, and relevant articles to engage followers in meaningful discussions. To foster healthy social media etiquette, avoid focusing solely on yourself in social media posts. This approach fosters conversation and connection with your followers, rather than creating a monologue centered around you.

5. Eliminate errors: Always proofread posts to maintain credibility. Typos and grammar mistakes can undermine your message and professionalism as a leader. Run a spellcheck. It takes a minute but won't catch everything. For example, "their" and "there" and "bear" and "beer." If you can't proofread your post, hire someone with a keen eye to do it before sharing it on social media platforms.

6. Be cautious with scheduled posts: As a leader, you must eschew automated posts without timely review. Misjudged timing can lead to embarrassing or insensitive content going live on social media. For instance, a scheduled Tweet about your product could be posted right after a news report against such products. This mismatch can lead to severe social media issues and negative perceptions.

7. Exploiting tragedy for gain: Exploiting tragedy for personal or organizational gain is an unethical practice where individuals or entities take advantage of disasters, crises, or unfortunate events to advance their own interests. This can manifest in various forms, such as companies capitalizing on disasters to market their products, or individuals using personal tragedies to solicit donations or sympathy for ulterior motives. Such actions can erode public trust, exacerbate suffering, and undermine genuine efforts to provide aid and support. Ethical considerations demand that during times of tragedy, the focus should be on empathy, support, and constructive action rather than opportunistic exploitation.

8. Maintain professionalism: As a leader, you must avoid anything that might portray you or your business in a negative light. Consider the long-term impact of every post on your brand's reputation. Once you click Send, Share, Post, or Tweet, it is out there forever. As a leader, endeavour to treat your social media accounts as seriously as your business itself. 

9. Avoid political comments and posts: Social media etiquette is that leaders should avoid making political posts or comments on social media. Global political developments have polarised countries. Many now occupy extreme political positions, risking customer alienation. Disagreements on politics shouldn't hinder business, but customers may exploit your political comments on social platforms to boycott your business. Businesses should focus on inclusivity and neutrality.

10. Steer clear of religious posts: Leaders should respect diverse beliefs to maintain broad appeal. Religion is personal and can cause disunity, affecting your business. Religious remarks may alienate potential customers and harm your company's brand. Even if some share your faith, keep discussions of religion out of professional interactions. When you share your thoughts and opinions on political or religious issues, think about the risks.

You can also read: 

• The science of hiring: How data analytics is revolutionising talent acquisition
• AI in HR: The role of generative AI in modern performance management
• How AI is shaping the future: Emerging leadership roles in technology

Leaders should be mindful of social media etiquette to maintain their professional reputation. It's important to avoid controversial or frivolous content and to keep a professional tone. Each post should reflect the values and standards of the business. Regularly reviewing your social media strategy can help ensure it aligns with these guidelines and protects your brand.

If you have any queries, want to pitch your story, or share feedback on our content, please feel free to reach out at samriddhi.s@gopeoplematters.com. We look forward to hearing from you!