Striking the right balance online between sharing too much, or not enough, can be difficult.

I think we’ve all unfollowed, unsubscribed, muted or blocked someone on social media who, although almost always well intentioned, simply overwhelmed our feeds with too much content.

There’s a negative connotation that goes along with someone who is labelled an ‘over-sharer’ – but on the flip side, an individual or organisation that is rarely spotted online can be just as damaging to their reputation.

I still see too many people with so much to offer ‘hiding the good stuff’ on social media, making it difficult to find out what’s great about their offering, and communicating in an almost robotic fashion.

Might you fall into one of the above categories? If so, read on here for my advice to the ‘over-sharer’ or ‘under-sharer’ on getting some balance back into your approach, and the characteristics of each to beware of!

Over-sharers

In my opinion, the issue is not the amount of sharing, posting, interacting, and content creation you are doing… The issue is;

• The platform you are sharing on,
• The audience you are sharing to,
• The format you are sharing in.

Social media is not a ‘one size fits all’. It’s important to be evaluating whether what you are sharing is resonating. Is it the right message for that platform, is the audience you are sharing it with expecting, or requesting to learn about what you are putting out there, and are you sharing your communications in a way that is engaging and appropriate?

Maybe it’s time to switch it up.

I’m not saying stop sharing that message or style of content, but maybe take it to a new platform, or format. If you’re being too broad, and trying to be everything to everyone, then maybe you need a niche account that focuses just on one key message.

Over-sharers – Defined by;

• Overwhelming their audience
• Trying to appeal to everyone
• Using all platforms the same way
• Not adjusting and measuring what’s working

On the flip-side there are those out there seeking to build a community around their brand, individually, or as an organisation, but they are under-sharing.

Under-sharers

Under-sharers have their followers asking ‘Is anyone home? Am I following a person, or a robot? Do they have anything of note that’s special about them that they want me know? Because I can’t find it!’

It’s no coincidence that the really strong communities on social media, the individuals and organisations that keep their audience engaged and thriving, are social. They interact, they comment, reply, share, like and generally ‘do more’.

Under-sharers ‘hide the good stuff’. I guess that comes back to something I’ve talked about before. In that small window of space and time that someone gets to know about you on social media, what’s most important to you, what you stand for, your values, associations and aspirations… Are you making that most important information obvious? Don’t make someone second-guess, or even scroll down your feed to find something relating to why they looked you up in the first place.

Under-sharers – Defined by;

• Struggle to connect with and grow their community
• Hide really interesting and relevant content from their audiences
• Almost robotic, and certainly not very ‘social’ on social media
• Have not tried different platforms or formats of communication