Unfollow These 8 Common Social Media Mistakes

Social media is where places get to shine, connect with their communities and (let’s be honest) show off a little. But with great power comes great responsibility—and sometimes, a few cringeworthy social media mistakes.  

Want to keep your economic development organization, talent attraction campaign, or destination brand from making social media blunders? We’re breaking down eight common social media mistakes and how to avoid them like a pro.  

Mistake 1: Posts Without Purpose 

We’ve all seen a social media post and thought “Okay…and?” Protect your place brand from this kind of reaction by ensuring every post has a purpose, whether that be to inform, entertain, inspire or drive action among site selectors and corporate executives, local stakeholders, or potential talent and travelers. Posting just for the sake of it can dilute your organization’s message and leave your audience disengaged. Before publishing, ask yourself: What will my audience gain from this?  

Mistake 2: Off-Brand Content 

Imagine walking into a fancy steakhouse and being handed a sushi menu—confusing, right? That’s what happens when a place organization’s content feels all over the place. Your audience expects consistency in your voice, visuals and messaging. Keep it fun and relatable for talent attraction campaigns, polished and informative for economic development and full of wanderlust for tourism. A strong, recognizable place brand = instant credibility. 

Mistake 3: Visuals That Fall Short 

Blurry photos? Random, one-off graphics? Boring videos? No, thank you. Social media is all about visuals, so invest in high-quality images, use your organization’s brand colors and fonts and optimize everything for each platform. Hint: vertical and square assets take up more ‘digital real estate’ on a user’s screen, especially on their phone. If Canva and Adobe aren’t already your best friends, it’s time to make the introduction.  

Mistake 4: Weak Calls to Action 

If you’re not telling your audience what to do next, don’t be surprised when they scroll right past your post. Whether it’s encouraging users to visit your website, sign up for a newsletter or drop a comment, a compelling and clear CTA guides your audience toward the next step in your conversion and marketing funnel, and boosts engagement.   

Mistake 5: Dense Captions 

Raise your hand if you’ve scrolled past a post because the caption was the length of a novel. Long, unstructured copy can be overwhelming and, let’s be honest, not all that interesting. Instead, avoid redundancy by using concise, engaging language with line breaks (and the occasional emoji) to make content more digestible. A good rule of thumb: stick to 1-2 sentences for engagement posts and 3-4 for storytelling. When necessary, try breaking up lengthy information into a carousel post or a blog (whether it’s native to the platform or an outbound link). 

Disclaimer: this doesn’t mean long posts are totally off limits. Just use them with discretion, and make sure the story you’re telling is worth the real estate it takes up in your audience’s feed.   

Mistake 6: Copy + Paste Content 

What works on Instagram may not work on LinkedIn, and TikTok posts don’t always translate well to Facebook. Think of it like dressing for the occasion—what works for a beach party won’t fly at a business meeting. Tailor your tone, format and messaging accordingly. 

Mistake 7: Lack of Community Building 

Social media isn’t just a one-way broadcast channel—it’s a space for meaningful interaction. Place brands that fail to respond to comments, messages and mentions miss out on valuable opportunities to build relationships with locals, visitors and investors. To help keep up, block out a few minutes each day to show your audience some love and boost engagement. 

Mistake 8: Overlooked Insights 

Flying blind is no way to run a social strategy. Your analytics are packed with gold—engagement rates, reach, audience demographics—you name it. Ignoring them is like trying to cook without tasting your food. Regularly check what’s working, tweak what’s not and let the data guide your next move. 

Avoiding these common mistakes can help you create a stronger, more impactful social media presence.  

Need help with your economic development, talent attraction or social media strategy and implementation? Get in touch DCI’s VP of Social Media Hanna Gbordzoe at hanna.gbordzoe@aboutdci.com to discuss.