Post it right or don’t post at all- #tbt

Classic, embarrassing, horrifying, and hilarious! Those are some of the words that come to mind when you think of  #throwbackthursday. It is a weekly trend that has taken over Instagram and suddenly those embarrassing naked pictures of you as a child are not so embarrassing anymore.

That picture of that horrifying bowl cut your parents gave you as a child is something you might not have considered sharing up until this hashtag trend came about, but now we are all digging through old albums looking for the next adorable or embarrassing photo of ourselves.

#tbt gives people a glimpse into your life before you grew up and decided to have a job, life, family etc., so keep sharing, but here are some tips for posting #tbt photos on Instagram that every insta-crazy person should know about.

Number one on the hit list for Instagram etiquette is to not be the couple that reminds us every week that they are in a relationship. I mean we are ecstatic for you, but it’s actually annoying that you have to remind us every week that you are together. I’m not saying that you should never post a photo of you and your hubby, just keep it to a minimum.

Next is the person who posts a #tbt from the week before. FYI it’s not actually a throwback it’s more like a #latergram.

#Sometimes I know it’s #tempting to #hashtag #every #possible #object, #place, or #thing in your post, but it’s really #annoying.  Generally I find that pictures with no hashtags or fewer hashtags get more likes generally because your followers will appreciate that you don’t have to use fifty hashtags to generate traffic on your instagram page.

Mind your content when posting to Instagram. Everyone posts pictures of pictures, but don’t make it obvious and make sure to crop that thumb out.

Another tip for posting on #tbt is to make sure you limit yourself to one post a week on this day. There is nothing I hate more than seeing people post five baby pictures of themselves within the span of an hour. Be considerate and don’t spam your followers feed. People will not hesitate to clivk that unfollow button if you’re a pest to them over social media. This rule is pretty much universal over any social media platform. Be timely with your content and only post content or images you are certain your audience will enjoy seeing.

If you missed the boat on #throwbackthursday, Flashback Friday is not okay. I think that’s all that needs to be said.

I probably can’t stress this enough, but if you’re going to post embarrassing pictures please consider other people in the photo. We’ve all posted a photo that we secretly knew our friend didn’t like, but posted it anyways, that still doesn’t make posting it okay. Be good friends to your friends people.

Lastly, keep the humble brag to a minimum, it’s awesome that you met your favourite celebrity, but some people can get jealous of your fabulous life. So when you post, keep it to one post and one post only for the sake of other people’s ego.

In summary Instagram really teaches us what content is essential and gives us an idea of what content will garner more attention from our followers over social media. What you post and how you post it says a lot about you and your brand.  This proper etiquette teaches marketers the type of content that is appropriate to post on your followers feed. This will keep us ahead of the curve with not only social media, but with content as well.

 

Patricia Ferreira, Raven5 Ltd, Oakville, Ontario April 2014.

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