Stop Making These Social Media Marketing Mistakes

An active social media presence is a vital component of any digital marketing strategy. You may already be sharing content on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and developing a following for your business.

However, there is more to Social Media Marketing than just pushing out content. Social media has greatly influenced the way people interact with brands, and has shaped their expectations of how brands should conduct themselves online. Here are 4 common social media mistakes many brands make, and what you can do to avoid them:

Mistake #1 | All Sales, No Personality

Your customers aren’t following you on social media to hear a steady stream of sales pitches. Instead, they want to get to know your business and the people behind the brand. Spending all of your time and energy pushing your products and brand can result in decreased interaction with your content, or even prompt users to unfollow.

How To Fix It | While there’s nothing wrong with the occasional self-promotion, you want to make sure you are sharing a balanced variety of content with your followers. When you do share promotional content, go for subtle rather than salesy. Find topics and messages that are relevant to your brand and your followers alike, and incorporate them into your social media content.

Experiment with different formats, such as video, photos, user-generated content, and links to blogs and articles, and find which ones resonate with your audience. If you’re not sure what your audience wants to see, don’t be afraid to ask! Using a social media content calendar to map out each post will also help you make sure you are sharing a nice variety of content.

Mistake #2 | Oversharing

While it’s great to showcase your personality on social media, you don’t want to take things too far. Volunteering too much information or discussing taboo topics that don’t relate to your business can have far-reaching consequences that impact your bottom line.

The content you share on social media should help build trust with your brand. Sharing intimate details about your personal life on your business’s social media accounts can greatly undermine that trust. After all, if you don’t appear to value your own privacy, how can your customers be sure you will respect theirs?

Posting about, or taking a stance on, certain taboo topics can be equally damaging. It’s always best to avoid discussing politics, religion, or other potentially divisive topics on your business’s social media accounts. Your social media should serve as a reflection of your company’s values and culture, so try to steer clear of sensitive subjects and always keep things professional.

How To Fix It | Whenever you’re sharing content on behalf of your business, make sure it is professional, appropriate, and relevant to your business or industry. Always maintain appropriate boundaries between your professional and personal lives, and avoid sharing content or posting replies in the heat of the moment. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and avoid clicking “post” if you think your content might offend.

Mistake #3 | Not Proofreading Before Posting

While social media tends to be fairly candid and casual, people tend to expect more from businesses. Spelling and grammar errors are often very noticeable and can detract from the message you are trying to share with your audience. Repeatedly sharing content that is full of errors can give off the impression that your business is careless or unprofessional.

How To Fix It | While it’s always great to get your social media content published in a timely manner, it’s important not to rush to the point where you make a mistake. Plan as much of your content in advance as possible to give yourself plenty of time to proofread or fact-check any claims you might be making in your post. For timely, in-the-moment posts, make sure you are double-checking your copy and images before posting.

Mistake #4 | Ignoring Your Followers

One of the biggest perks of using social media for your business is that it enables you to have conversations with your customers. So, if the conversation on your social media accounts is becoming one-sided, you may need to re-evaluate your approach.

Talking only about yourself and ignoring comments and messages from your followers can have a negative impact on your brand image. Current followers will feel like they aren’t being heard, and prospects who are viewing your profile may come away with the perception that you don’t care about your customers.

How To Fix It | By being present on all of your business’s social media profiles, you can develop stronger connections with your audience. Make sure you are setting aside the time needed to check each of your accounts and respond to any comments, messages, and reviews. It’s especially important that you respond to any negative comments or reviews in order to help balance out the conversation and potentially turn things around.

While it’s important to try to avoid these Social Media Marketing mistakes, don’t let yourself become so afraid of making a mistake that it prevents you from having fun with your social media presence. Just remember to share content that adds value for your followers, and is relevant to your business.

Do you need help building a stronger social media presence for your business? Contact our team for a free Digital Marketing Plan. We’ll take a look at your current online presence and provide you with tips and guidance to keep you moving in the right direction for your business.