Why saying “I” on your business social media is a mistake

There’s a habit that’s become increasingly common across small business social media, and once you notice it, it’s difficult to ignore.

Spend a bit of time scrolling through company accounts and you’ll see it repeatedly. Posts are written in the first person, as if the account is an individual rather than a business.

It might seem like a small detail, but it changes how the business or organisation is perceived.

On the surface, it can feel more natural. The person writing the post is simply describing what they’ve done that day or sharing an update in their own voice. There’s a sense of immediacy to it, and in some cases it can even come across as more personal. The problem is that the person writing the post isn’t the thing being marketed. The business is.

That distinction is easy to overlook, but it matters more than most people realise.

It weakens the identity of the business

Every business, regardless of size, needs to feel like a defined entity. That doesn’t mean it has to sound corporate or detached, but it does need a consistent voice that represents the business itself rather than whichever individual happens to be posting.

When everything is written as “I”, that consistency disappears. The brand becomes secondary, and the focus shifts to the person behind the account. Over time, that makes the business feel less structured and less intentional, even if the work being delivered is strong.

For very small, personality-led brands, that approach can be part of the positioning. If the business is built entirely around one individual and presented that way, then using “I” makes sense.

In most cases, it doesn’t.

It makes the business feel smaller than it is

Perception plays a bigger role in buying decisions than most businesses are comfortable admitting.

When a business consistently communicates in the first person, it gives the impression that everything revolves around a single individual. Even if there is a team, a process or a structure behind the scenes, none of that comes across. The business feels smaller, less established and, in some cases, less reliable.

That might not be the reality, but it’s how it’s interpreted. When someone is comparing options, especially in competitive sectors, those signals matter. A business that presents itself clearly and consistently will almost always be taken more seriously than one that feels informal or loosely structured, even if the underlying service is comparable.

It introduces unnecessary ambiguity

There’s also a practical issue that often gets overlooked.

When a business account uses “I”, it isn’t always clear who that refers to. It could be the owner, a member of staff, someone on-site or even an external person managing the account. The reader is left to interpret it, which introduces a level of ambiguity that doesn’t need to be there.

Most people won’t dwell on it, but they will register that something feels slightly unclear. Clear communication builds confidence. Small moments of uncertainty, even subtle ones, tend to have the opposite effect.

It’s more common than it should be

This isn’t limited to one type of business. It comes up regularly across small companies where social media is handled internally without much consideration for brand voice.

It’s also something that stands out in motorsport.

Spending time around the Bennetts British Superbike paddock, particularly in the support classes, you’ll often see team accounts posting in the first person. When that’s coming from a team account, it immediately feels misaligned. The account represents a collective, yet the communication suggests a single voice, without any clarity on who that actually is.

It doesn’t take away from the work being done, but it does affect how professional the team appears from the outside.

It’s rarely deliberate

In most cases, this isn’t a conscious decision. It’s simply the result of someone writing quickly, using the same language they would use in conversation. Writing in the first person feels natural, especially when you’re close to the work. The issue is that what feels natural in the moment doesn’t always serve the bigger picture.

Without stepping back and thinking about how the business should sound, there is no consistent voice. Over time, that leads to messaging that feels inconsistent and, in some cases, slightly unstructured.

A small change makes a big difference

The fix isn’t complicated, but it does require intent.

Shifting from “I” to “we” immediately reinforces the idea that the business is a defined entity. Where it adds value, naming individuals within the business can provide clarity without losing that structure. The key is that the communication reflects the business first, not the person posting.

It’s a small adjustment, but it changes how the business is perceived almost instantly.

It comes back to how you want to be seen

Social media is often the first point of contact someone has with your business. Before they visit your website or make an enquiry, they’ll usually spend a bit of time looking through your content. What they see shapes their expectations.

If the aim is to be taken seriously, win better work and position the business properly, then the way it communicates needs to reflect that. Tone of voice plays a part in how credibility is built, and consistency is a big part of that.

Using “I” might feel natural when you’re writing the post, but it just doesn’t always represent the business in the way you think it does.

If your business is active on social media but the way it communicates doesn’t reflect the standard of work you deliver, it’s worth taking a step back and looking at it more objectively. Small details like tone of voice can have a bigger impact on perception than most people expect. Getting that right won’t fix everything overnight, but it does move you closer to being taken seriously by the people you actually want to work with.