If you have spent any time on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok (and now, sadly, LinkedIn), you may have been the victim of over-sharing. You are subjected to pointless, and often narcissistic postings, often from people and organizations that should know better.

While the impact on you is wasted time, the posters often don’t consider the brand impact of their actions: Every posting, comment, picture, or video, tugs the brand in one direction or another.

How do you know if you should share (or post)? Before letting people know what you think, what you’re doing, or what you like, consider these guidelines:

1. Is the post in line with your overall strategy, or is it an “outlier” that is in conflict with the brand.
2. If you posted similar items 10 times more often, would you feel that the overall impact was still “in brand”? If not, then why even do the first post?
3. Is your message a sales pitch? While this may be appropriate in some cases, it can devalue relationships from trust to price.
4. Are you posting too often or not enough? By making this particular post, are you matching the timing expectations of your audience?
5. Are you broadcasting, or do you seek engagement? No one likes being shouted at – but most are keen to be asked for their opinion.
6. Are your posts generating likes, shares, and comments? If not, then your posts don’t resonate: either seek another audience, or say something different.
7. Would you be embarrassed to see the post in the newspaper or on TV? If you’re a bit uneasy, then make a change to the post, or don’t share it at all.
8. Are you losing friends or followers after your posts go live? If it is intentional because you’re aiming at a different audience – then not a problem. If it isn’t intentional, then losing friends/followers indicates a lost focus. (Read When users Defect, for more reasons why users may be declining.)

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