Avoid These Social Media Mistakes Like The Plague

Most of us should know by now the importance of social media in nearly every marketing strategy. But what people don’t always highlight is the common social media mistakes you need to avoid. Although many businesses realise the value of social media marketing, not all of them use this tactic effectively.

Social media is not a shotgun approach shooting at every target hoping to hit something. The modern marketing approach should be composed, strategic and super-efficient. Mistakes are likely to happen but how you prepare for and react can be the difference between success and disaster.

Top 5 Social Media Mistakes To Avoid

Firstly, there is no set guide for the perfect social media marketing plan as every business is different. However, there are a number of common social media mistakes you need to steer clear of. Take a look at the top 5 that made our list.

Failure to identify your target audience

People are different with unique points of view and interests. It’s near impossible to please everyone but you still need to have a target market in mind. It’s true that 60% of Facebook users are aged 25-55 and most Pinterest users are female. Just because these are the facts, doesn’t mean your campaign must solely be based on it. Identify your own audience, create relevant content, build the expected relationship and you will see results.

Don’t try to use every social media network

Not every social media channel is right for every business so to achieve genuine results, you need to identify which sites your customers and potential customers use. From there you can direct your content and marketing efforts far more effectively along with accurately measuring your ROI.

Just because there is an abundance of social media networks doesn’t mean you have to use all of them. Spreading yourself too thin by using too many channels could result in mismanagement of certain platforms. The best course of action is to choose 3-5 social media channels best matching your audience requirements. Rather commit to a rigorous posting schedule on a few networks than having a large number of inactive accounts.

Posting too much, not enough or the same thing over and over

Social media mistakes are hard to completely avoid but a social media content plan can really help. A social media strategy if you will. Anyone can post random things online but it won’t help you reach your goals. Posting the same content over and over could give the impression that your brand is boring or simply not listening to the audience. Repetitive, monotone posts mean your audience will become less engaged which will affect your online reputation.

Outline your social strategy and include all the types of content that will help reflect that. Instead of banging your head against the wall using the same quotes or links, change things up a little and post more of a variety. Here are few types of social media content you should consider.

User-generated content
Podcasts and Webinars
Facebook live streams
Infographics and eBooks
Client testimonials or Case studies

The best content is shareable content. Come up with a strategy and promote your most informative and engaging guides across social media. You should also consider paid advertising to get them in front of a targeted audience for even more traffic and leads.

Don’t JUST sell or promote on social media

Social media is possibly one of the most valuable marketing tools but it has to be used correctly. Remember, it’s not a billboard or commercial to advertise and push your brand – at least not all the time. The 80/20 principle still applies and works well. Post quality, engaging content 80% of the time and brand promotion 20% of the time.

You should, in fact, identify ways to get your social media fans and followers into your TOFU (‘Top of Funnel’, not bean curd). This way you won’t have to always directly market on social media.

Using inexperienced social media managers

Social media managers are essentially the face of a brand so why wouldn’t you want someone experienced? Untrained or unsupervised employees should not be given the responsibility of running your brand’s social media accounts. Experience breeds confidence and these individuals know how to react in most situations like negative feedback, bullying, inappropriate or unprofessional content or comments. Anything can happen and you should always have redundancies in place.

Let’s be honest, social media mistakes can’t always be avoided but a good place to start is hiring an experienced social media manager. It’s also vital to keep a close eye on things like followers, likes, clicks, conversions, website visits and other data. You’ll be better able to adapt your social media marketing campaign and achieve the desired results.

Don’t be a victim of common social media mistakes as you could damage your brand’s reputation. Follow our lead and your social media marketing will be much more effective as a result.

We’d really like to hear your thoughts on any social media mistakes you’ve made or have come across. If you need help or guidance with your digital marketing strategy, please get in touch.