It’s easy to make mistakes when posting to social media. Today, utilizing social media is an important way to grow your business. While most marketers would advise you to use it, you must remember one thing above all else:
Social media is a tool.
Like any tool, social media can be used well, or it can be used poorly. When the latter occurs, you can do serious harm to your business’’ reputation, image, and goodwill with your customers.
Here are 8 major social media mistakes to avoid
1. Having no strategy
Many businesses fall into a trap of posting whatever they want with no direction or plan. That’s like going on a road trip without a map. Having a plan will constantly give you direction, ensure that you don’t run out of content, and keep you on track. Set goals with social media, come up with a way to achieve them, and measure your results constantly.
2. Including no call-to-action
Seventy percent of small businesses use no call-to-action. While social media is a fun way to engage with your customers, it’s still a marketing tool. What do you want your customers to do when they see your posts? Do you want them to follow your page or go to your website? Whatever it may be, it’s critical that you make that clear in your posts, otherwise called a call-to-action. Without it, all those people who see your posts are less likely to become paying customers.
3. Not knowing who you’re posting to
Creating posts is another form of marketing. It’s crucial to know who your audience is and what kinds of messages they like to hear. If you’re posting whatever you want while completely disregarding your target audience, you’re just shouting into the void.
4. Ignoring comments and message
Ignoring seriously negative comments is important, but being completely silent is another problem. When customers interact with your posts or send you messages through social media, you must engage with them. Reply “thank you” to nice comments or like things that people share with you. It also gives your customers a chance to know you better.
5. Engaging with overly negative comments
This happens all the time. Regardless of what you post, you’re bound to receive some needlessly negative comments. While the temptation may be there to engage with those comments, it’s best to remove them instead. By interacting with those people, you can put yourself in a bad light in the eyes of paying customers.
6. Imitating the “big dogs
Coca-Cola does a lot of nice-looking ads with people partying at the beach drinking Coke. There is no call-to-action. There’s no page to follow. Small businesses think that because companies like Coca-Cola are successful, that imitating their marketing is critical. However, large companies have much more flexibility in marketing because of their brand awareness. Everyone knows what Coca-Cola is and where to buy it. Their marketing is all about giving people the desire to go and buy some. You must market based on your size and brand awareness.
7. Posting at the wrong time
Many marketers set up social media calendars where they will publish posts at regular intervals. This is because you want to maximize how many people will see your post when it goes live. If you publish posts at 2 AM, chances of your followers seeing it are low. Based on your demographic, figure out a time that works for you. Post when people are getting off work are just starting their day.
8. Annoying your followers
There can be too much of a good thing, and the same is true of social media posts. Even if your posts are top-notch, too much of them will annoy your followers. You don’t want to flood people’s timelines with your stuff, because it will encourage them to unfollow your page. Less is more in this regard. You want people to pay attention when you post, so doing it sparingly will better keep their interest.There are many social media mistakes to avoid. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more are all learning opportunities. Like any tool, it takes time to learn how to use them correctly. By setting a plan, avoiding serious mistakes, and making corrections when necessary, you can be well on your way to a top-notch social media page.
There are many social media mistakes to avoid. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more are all learning opportunities. Like any tool, it takes time to learn how to use them correctly. By setting a plan, avoiding serious mistakes, and making corrections when necessary, you can be well on your way to a top-notch social media page.