Have you ever been in a class or meeting with that one person who loves to hear themselves talk? They want everyone to hear their opinion — no matter how good or bad. Or maybe they just hate silence and will say anything to avoid a lull.

Too frequently, some brands, even established ones, will post just about anything on social media. They fear that a lack of posting times leads to less engagement, resulting in lower reach numbers. This concern gives them an excuse for countless, unrelated posts on social outlets. But does posting for postings sake really strengthen your brand?

Some brands don’t get it. Progressive is centered around the low-cost and flexible insurance plans. Flo, the humorous star of Progressive commercials, has her own Facebook page. Is that wrong? Not necessarily. In the last two days, she has posted six times with photos of confetti, black and white flowers, and her Halloween party plans. Does this annoy people? I would think so.

As someone who’s posted relatively irrelevant content for a client before, I completely understand the pressure to keep your engagement and reach numbers high.

But keeping the conversation focussed on your brand prevents your brand from being associated with nonsense and leads to happier, engaged fans. Coca-Cola is one company I think of that “gets” it. Each post circles back to Coke. There’s no posting-abuse. Content is kept to the subject AND geared to drive engagement.

Protect your brand from becoming diluted. Have fun on social, but make sure your posting doesn’t stray too far outside of your social media strategy.

“Image courtesy of [StockImages] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.