The OlyverApp Blog

Five Annoying Things You Shouldn't Do On Social Media

There should be a finishing school for social media users with classes that teach people how to communicate effectively in 280 characters or less. It doesn't exist, but entrepreneurs can still resolve to not be "that guy" on the internet . . . as in "that guy who makes everyone role his or her eyes."

Posting stupid, meaningless bromides on Twitter. Some twitheads give business advice like they're recently-fired fortune cookie writers. "Follow your passion." "Find the one thing you really love and do it better than anyone else." "Your business is only as great as the people you work with." Really? You get lucky numbers and a word of the day with those tweets? Share meaningful advice that demonstrates your expertise and that your followers can actually use.
Sending solicitations to people you just connected with on LinkedIn. No, I don't need a web developer. Or a personal trainer. Or a remote team. Or an alpaca herder. Or anything else you might be selling. If your idea of marketing is cold-messaging new LinkedIn contacts, you've got problems. Find a better way to spread the word about your products and services.
Boasting about how much money your business made. Success stories are powerful motivators; they remind entrepreneurs that good ideas and hard work (combined with a little luck) are eventually rewarded. But boasting about your business' worth, revenue, or profits for its own sake is obnoxious and reflects poorly on you both professionally and personally. There are better ways to communicate your success - like thanking investors, employees, and customers or announcing a new line of products.
Boasting about how much money your business raised. Bragging that you raised money without providing context suggests that you don't understand the difference between investment and profits. The former is only a means to an end, and plenty of ventures that raise money ultimately fail. You should be proud when you bring in new investors, but get your messaging right. A vote of confidence from experienced investors is a great way to encourage potential customers to give your products and services a look.
Posting anything like this: "The unicorn startup founded by art industry gurus just delivered investors a net IRR of 30%+ in 2020 and 2021, from the sale of two works." What the hell does this even mean? Are you selling something, bragging about something, or trying to impress by using words and phrases that you think sound exceptionally business savvy? Just because you're "using the lingo" doesn't automatically mean you're conveying a substantive thought.

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