Social media can be a funny thing to navigate. Each platform has its own set of norms and best practices, and the audience differs slightly from one platform to the next.

Even so, there are some definite faux pas you’ll want to avoid no matter which social outlet you’re using to promote your home inspection business. Here are 8 mistakes to avoid on your social channels.

1. Not creating a dedicated business account

Chances are you probably already have your own personal accounts on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere. This is a great place to keep your friends and family informed about what you’re up to.

But you should also have separate, dedicated accounts specifically for your business. This way, even people you don’t know personally will have an easy way to find and follow you. You’ll also reap the benefits of having more results in search listings.

2. Posting off-color jokes

Even if you think it’s harmless, there’s a fine line between something being funny and offensive. For your business, it’s best to err on the side of caution when it comes to posting anything that has the potential to offend your audience. Save the off-color jokes and toilet humor for your personal account.

3. Political commentary

Your business account is not—we repeat, is not the place to sound off about your political beliefs.

The one exception to the rule, in our opinion, is when it comes to political matters that directly affect your industry. In that case, it’s appropriate to help your audience understand how the issue might affect them. Otherwise, leave politics out of the conversation.

4. Spreading yourself too thin

Just because dozens of social media platforms exist doesn’t mean you need to have a presence on all of them. In fact, spreading yourself too thin can make it impossible to market effectively on social media.

We suggest picking between one and three platforms to hone in on, then building a strong presence there. Which brings us to our next mistake to avoid…

5. Not knowing your audience

Think of social media platforms like different places to hang out. Some people prefer to hang out in quiet coffee shops, while others prefer lively, crowded bars. Some gathering spots have a younger demographic, while others cater to an older crowd.

Social media platforms work the same way. Facebook is popular across all age groups, and it’s recently seen a spike in popularity among the 50+ demographic. Twitter skews much younger, with the majority of users being in the 18-29 age group. LinkedIn is most popular with users between 30 and 64.

Your message should be tailored accordingly. While you might post on LinkedIn about growing your business by hiring five new inspectors, on Twitter you’ll get better engagement by sharing a funny picture from a job site or a fast fact about the industry.

6. Not having a strategy

Your assumption might be that posting something is better than posting nothing, but that’s not true if what you’re posting isn’t in alignment with your brand. Keep this in mind: when someone goes to your account for the first time, the very first impression they’ll get is from whatever you posted most recently.

Each time you post, ask yourself: is what I’m posting in line with the image I want to convey for my business?

7. Posting non-native content

What is native content? Simply put, it’s the type of post that fits in naturally on each platform.

For Facebook, that would be short text posts, horizontal images and video. You won’t see too many vertical images or long-form posts showing up in your news feed.

For Twitter it’s (sometimes painfully) short commentary, quips and photos with an entertaining or informative slant. Posts that bleed into multiple tweets or contain lots of abbreviation are non-native and won’t perform well.

For LinkedIn, it’s business updates, behind-the-scenes photos and content that applies to your industry. You won’t see too many family photos or funny status updates here.

With a bit of strategy and regular posting, you’ll see your social channels grow consistently over time.