From Twitter and Facebook to the morning, evening, and nightly news, politics seems to be all anyone is talking about.
This cycle appears to be even more controversial than usual, and many people aren’t holding back when it comes to sharing their opinions.
But, while it’s undoubtedly an important decision that merits discussion, the emphatic support many feel in regards to their candidate of choice can creep its way from their personal lives into their professional ones.
It’s a well-known bit of advice to keep your political opinions out of the workplace, but it’s easy to forget that now extends to Internet forums, too. And politics isn’t the only topic we occasionally find ourselves being too open about.
Here’s what NOT to post on your professional social media.
1. Political views
As we mentioned above, your professional social media is not the proper environment for you to vent about the election. Whether you think what you shared was innocent or not, you always run the risk of alienating one or more customers.
They’re following you for real estate information, not your political rants and raves.So give the people what they want. Save the politics for your personal life. Keep them very, very separate from your professional one.
2. Religious views
Similar to politics in that they have the tendency to be extremely divisive, it’s always best to leave the religious comments, news, and content on your personal accounts.
However, this doesn’t apply to everyone. If you market yourself as a religiously-based real estate business, then that’s exactly what your customers have signed up for. But if that’s not your main demographic, then don’t force it on them.
Now, this doesn’t have to mean a complete and total moratorium on anything and everything to do with religion. When your religious holiday of choice rolls around, you don’t need to shy away from sharing the greetings.
Remember, though, this isn’t the place to make a statement. Glad tidings are one thing. Overly personal opinions are another.
3. Controversial opinions
While many controversial opinions tend to have to do with one of the topics we’ve already discussed, not all of them do.
This section really serves as a catch-all for the remainder of touchy subjects out there to talk about. Your public real estate profile is never going to be the place for anything that could remotely be described as a controversy.
Why?
Because your professional social media exists for marketing. And the point of marketing is to gain customers, not eliminate them. Whether you like it or not, it’s your job to be as politically correct as possible at all times when representing your business. And that’s all there is to it.
4. Not-safe-for-work (NSFW) content
Believe it or not, this is an actual problem we’ve seen time and time again.
In fact, at the time of writing this article, we were scrolling through the official Pipeline ROI Twitter to do some research on various social media faux-pas and came across this very issue.
On the professional page of a user who will remain nameless, an image of an extremely scantily clad woman was shared for all of their professional connections to see.
Yes, really.
If it wasn’t common sense to you before reading this post, let’s make it so now. If you wouldn’t want to show an image, comment, or post to every one of your clients, it’s not appropriate for your professional accounts.
5. Personal information
Working in real estate, the line between what’s personal and private can be hard to draw.
After all, you make home ownership possible. What could be more personal than giving someone a place to live? But you have to remember, your clients aren’t the only ones with access to your professional profiles. The Internet is a big place, and all kinds of people have access to it, both good and bad.
So think twice before divulging too much information.
Your home address, personal cell phone number, and other similar info can be exactly what someone is looking for when attempting to commit a cybercrime. If you choose to share similar information with your customers, it’s best to do it on a person-by-person basis.
When it comes down to it, social media can make or break your professional image. Be cautious and aware of the person you’re presenting yourself as.
Of course, what NOT to share is only one small part of your social media strategy. What about things you SHOULD share?
At Pipeline ROI, we’re happy to help. Check out this free social media guide for real estate marketing or give us a call at 866-300-1550 to schedule a free live demo of our complete marketing platform. A subscription with us gives you access to tons of other great marketing materials and training so you can take your business to the next level.