As a business owner, I can almost guess that the majority of your screen time report each week is a combination of HOURS spent on our most beloved platforms, like Instagram, TikTok, and Threads. 

Apple has a funny way of reminding us just how much we’re spending on these apps each week… how rude of her. 

But then we justify it by saying, “wellll, it’s my job!” “I have to be there!”

And trust me, I get it. A social media presence as a business owner IS important, so I’m not here to judge your screen time. 

What I am here to do? To make sure you’re using all of those social media platforms LEGALLY (shocker 🤪).

For whatever reason, there are a LOT of social media myths out there when it comes to promoting your business specifically and in this blog post I’m going to share the top 5 that I see the most in hopes of helping you ditch those myths and step into the REEL (see what I did there? 😏) truth of social media. 

5 Most Common Social Media Myths That Business Owners Are Still Believing 

1. The platform holds the copyright to your content. 

I’m sure you’ve heard it said before that you don’t “own” the content you post on social media. Typically when people say this, they simply mean that you can’t really control what happens to your content after it’s posted. 

For example, if the platform glitches or goes away entirely, there’s not much you can do about it. 

But what this DOESN’T mean is that you don’t own the copyright to your content. 

Because yes you do! Even though you’ve agreed to a platform’s Terms of Service, that doesn’t mean they own your photos, videos, comments, captions, etc.

You’re simply giving them a green light to display it. 🚦

2. Influencers don’t need to disclose gifted items.

SKRRTTTTT.

If you’re an influencer, blogger, or just an average business person who receives gifted items from a brand and you’re promoting them on social media, YES, you need to disclose that.

Transparency is a BIG must for influencers. Failing to disclose a gifted promotion can lead to your audience thinking you bought it, which can be misleading.

And spoiler: it’s also the law and the FTC does NOT play around when it comes to promotional disclosures.

There’s a lot more where this came from, so CLICK HERE for the full rundown!

3. “Credit to [user]” is the same thing as getting their permission. 

If I had to pick which social media myth is my biggest pet peeve, it’d probably be this one.

In the world of social media and online business, there is so much stealing of other’s content and it has GOT 👏🏼 TO 👏🏼 STOP. 👏🏼

And no, giving credit where credit is due isn’t enough.

Re-uploading someone else’s content without their permission – even if you tag them – is a BIG no-no.

The good news is that if there’s one myth that’s easy to correct it’s this one! Something as simple as asking for permission in the comments or sending a quick DM could save you a whole world of trouble.

4. If it’s on social media, it’s in the public domain.

PLOT TWIST: a public post does not equal public domain. 

If you’ve never heard of that term before, the public domain ​refers to creative works, such as writings, music, art, inventions, and other intellectual property, that are not protected by intellectual property laws, such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws.

Works in the public domain are freely available for use by anyone for any purpose, without the need for permission or payment to the original creator or copyright holder.

Just because content is posted on a public account, however, doesn’t mean it’s free for you to use in your marketing.

Trust me, I’ve seen clients receive hefty bills for unknowingly using copyrighted memes! We’re talking tens of thousands of dollars. So, save yourself a headache (and an unsightly bill in the mail) and just don’t do it.

5. Images you found on Google are fair use for your social media marketing.

Honestly, all of us should know this by now, but unfortunately many don’t, so it’s worth reiterating…

Images on Google, Pinterest, and other search engines are NOT free-for-all for your marketing. 

Google results vary wildly in terms of usage allowances – some images or graphics might be 

public domain or free to use, while others are not. 

If you’re not sure? Steer clear. 🙅🏼‍♀️

Save Your Business From Getting Sued

You might read this and think… “is it really THAT big of a deal?!”

Well, let me ask you: do you think that getting sued is a big deal? If so, then my answer is yes!

Luckily, you can save yourself from getting sued by making sure that you always follow copyright laws, disclose affiliate promotions, and ultimately set your business up for success from the very beginning.

And if all of this feels a little overwhelming to keep up with? I’ve got a pretty sweet place that makes it simple. 👇🏼

In the Business to Brand Membership, I help creative entrepreneurs through legal business education create a rock solid foundation for their businesses and scale it without second guessing if they are doing it the right way.

Not only will you have access to an amazing community of entrepreneurs to bounce ideas off of, but you’ll also get:

✔️ Access to my library of videos full of legal know-how and how-to where I cover EVERYTHING you need to know to start and build your brand

✔️ Access to a private Facebook group where you can ask me and my team (and each other) questions, get feedback and find inspiration 

✔️ Monthly office hours where you can pick my brain about your biz

✔️ Members-only pricing on everything else from The Boutique Lawyer

The best part? It’s only $29/month because I know that when you’re starting a business, you have to be smart with your spending. 

So I’ve done my best to make it as accessible as possible for you!

CLICK HERE to get all of the details and secure your enrollment. 

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If we haven’t had the chance to *virtually* meet yet, hey I’m Amber – not a regular lawyer, but a cool lawyer that helps online business owners sell without getting sued. 

If you like what you just read and want more cool lawyer things in your life, here’s a few ways to stay connected:

Let’s be pen pals! Subscribe to my email list to receive all of my best biz tips and behind the scenes goodies to keep your business bringing in sales (legally of course).

Binge the blog to get all of the legal information you need about running a business in a way that actually makes sense to your non-legal brain.

Come hang with me on the ‘gram! I often do AMA’s on stories, so you can submit your specific questions when they come up.

And if you’re in need of legal resources that you can ACTUALLY understand? Here’s a few ways I can help:

Step into TBL’s free library of legal resources for creative entrepreneurs where we throw open the doors and spill the tea on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to legal protection, systems and sales.  

Browse the contract shop to find what’s missing in your biz and easily implement it with a plug and play template!

Join the collaborative legal membership that teaches you how to grow your business into a protected brand.

Need something else? Send me a DM! Always happy to lend a legal hand when I can.