It’s no surprise by now that social media can be used very effectively in marketing. It doesn’t matter what size your business is, you can’t deny how helpful social media can be in your marketing strategy. However, there are some things you really need to avoid if you want to stay on top and not cause any legal trouble for your business. So, luckily for you, we’ve got a handy little list of 5 things every company needs to avoid in their social media marketing strategy. 1) COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT It is never too late for a company to start on social media, but one of the first hurdles is choosing a logo and setting your profile pictures. These are what your clients and customers will see straight away when they search for you. But choosing the right style can be hard. If you think you’ve found the perfect logo that represents you and your brand, but it is already in use by another company, then there’s nothing you can do. You’re going to have to keep looking I’m afraid! Taking inspiration from your competitors or brands you like is fine, but you can’t copy them outright. It doesn’t matter if they’re in a different country, it is their intellectual property, and those laws hold up across borders. If they are a copyrighted and patented item, then they will win whatever case you throw at them. It isn’t a problem if you want to use someone else’s logo for inspiration, but you should sit down and talk with a graphic designer to really pick out the elements of the design that you like, so they can create something incorporating these features into something that is truly uniquely yours. 2) ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION The next faux pas we often see is people using images without permission from the owner. It might