We love social media. We share and we overshare. For our businesses we love to find great content to post on our various social accounts. But sometimes, we post something that just doesn’t look right. Or just doesn’t sit right with those who are reading it. This can cause some problems.
Sure, on some platforms, if you make a typo or spell something wrong, you can edit. On other platforms, an embarrassing or incorrect post can be deleted.
Once you’ve written your post, here are ten steps you should take before hitting the publish button.
1. Wait.
2. Wait some more.
3. Wait a little more.
4. Re-read what you’ve written to see if you’re happy with it.
5. Wait again.
6. Wait another second
7. Wait one more second
8. Have doubts? Run it by someone else. Otherwise, wait.
9. One more second of waiting.
10. Re-read your post one more time. If you have any lingering doubts, delete before you publish.
And once you’ve taken care of these ten steps, if everything looks fine, go ahead and publish. At most, you’ve lost ten seconds, and you can be pretty sure you’re OK.
It’s that simple. Social media makes it much too easy to publish without thinking. We act and react with lightning speed, and rush to publish, as if we need to be the first to say something. But waiting just ten seconds can save you, or your business, some embarrassment and grief.
Don’t rely on ability to edit or delete after the fact. Once you’ve published something, it’s out there. People will see it, and they might even do a screen capture. And even if they don’t, it might change their perception of you.
Think before you post. Read and re-read before you post. Wait before you post.
And make sure you’re saying what you really mean to say, and that it will be received properly.
Have you ever pulled the trigger on a post too soon?