It’s no secret the internet is full of dark, dark, places. Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are no different than the rest of the internet. 

Social media can be a place for bots, trolls, click bait, and much worse, if you’re not careful. Some of the groups on Facebook are filled with haters, tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theorists, and racist bigots. 

Knowing all of this, you most likely have a safe zone on social media you stick to. Most likely you have a usual routine you follow when you’re logged in. 

You visit the same profiles 

You visit the same pages

You visit the same groups 

You interact with the same people 

I call this routine we follow our “social media safe zone” 

For me, I post on my profiles, visit the groups I’m an admin of and check out what my personal friends and clients are doing. I don’t click random links, I don’t visit groups I’m invited to by strangers and I don’t even accept friend requests from people I don’t know. 

Now for me on Facebook, part of this is because I’m maxed out on friends, I run large groups and have a ton of clients. 

For most people, they stick to visiting the same people, pages and profiles. This is a good thing and keeps you away from things that will hijack your contact info and hurt your page ranking. 

Sticking to your social media safe zone is a good idea. It keeps you in authority with the people you’re connected with and keeps your sensitive info in tact. The people you know, like, and trust online, are the best people to get referrals and new connections from. 

When you stay in your social media safe zone you also become more familiar with the people you engage with. You stay top of mind when someone they know posts about needing your services. This leads to lots of referrals. 

Just like in real life!

In real life we stick to the same places, the same friends, the same gatherings, and all the normal routine stuff we do. Social media is no different. You’ll meet the people you need to meet from the people you already know and trust. 

Over the next week, pay close attention to your social media routine. Do you visit the same places or are you all over the place with specific intentions? Being intentional in your safe zone is key to being well known in the right circles.