We all make mistakes, especially on social media.  Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Here are 5 social media mistakes your business should avoid.

The social media world can be an amazing outlet to raise awareness of your business and meet customers, but mistakes are bound to happen. 73% of marketers believe social media marketing is very effective for promoting their business. Wonder why that 27% believes the opposite? Because they are making mistakes and not seeing the true power of social media marketing. Mistakes can cost your business precious revenue and potential growth, that’s why we’re here. By recognizing the 5 biggest social media mistakes, you can actively avoid them yourself and see the results! Here are the mistakes we most commonly see businesses making. 

1. Working without a plan

Having a detailed plan for your social media is essential as it allows you to strategize your every move and set goals for your business. You need to ask yourself; what do you want to get out of your social media and how are you going to achieve this?  Your plan should focus on leading potential customers onto a detailed sales funnel where they can learn about your company, and eventually make a purchase.  You should also be setting goals for your social media, and establishing a precedent for your going to achieve these goals. Goals should be SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. Plus, we highly recommend services like Hootsuite, Iconosquare, and even Facebook Business Manager, for scheduling and organizing future posts. Content-wise, we also recommend following these tips when developing your social media plan:

• Determine your goals. Some examples are awareness, community engagement, and purchases.
• Establish your audience.
• Generate tactics to reach those goals.
• Develop a brand voice and aesthetic, and stick to it.

2. Not knowing your target audience

Being aware of your business’s audience is crucial in the social media world. You want to create content that appeals to your demographic and can create positive ROI. Not everyone on social media is driven to look at your business/ account, you’ve got to find the people that will. You want to specifically reach the people that are most likely to make purchases, promote your brand and come back for seconds. Understanding your audience can help you significantly, here are some tips to finding those essential followers:

• Determine what demographic your product or service is made for (ex. age, gender, life status, interests)
• Where are they most active? (Be sure to check out our blog post about the best social media platforms for your brand)
• Look at your competitors to see how they are engaging their audience. What’s working for them, and what’s not? Analyze, assess and learn from their mistakes so that you can improve your own business. 

3. Not sharing valuable content 

Another big mistake people make online is not sharing valuable content, and therefore not giving an audience a reason to stick around. You need to evaluate your content and ask yourself ‘What is my audience getting out of this? Why would they care? What am I giving to my audience that no one else can?’ The more you respect your content in value, the more people will value your content.  Here is how you can break down your content into 3 categories of value:

1. Information
2. Entertainment
3. Inspiration

This means you want to create content that either gives the audience information, is a fun piece of content, or offers them motivation/inspiration in their life. Companies like Nike (inspiration), Wendys (entertainment), and Forbes (information) all succeed on social media because they understand the value their content has and it helps them stand out from the crowd. Plus, smaller brands are doing this very well too! Counterpart Brewing uses its social media to update its customers on their constantly revolving menu, and Attire educates its customers on how their products are made from sustainable materials. Understanding why your audience follows you is key to a successful social media strategy.  

4. Not seeing social media as a large picture 

The fourth biggest mistake in social media is not seeing it as a part of your overall marketing plan. Social media is a key element in your sales funnel, and works alongside a great website, ad strategy, and branding strategy. It should never be siloed or forgotten. According to Businessness2Community.com, 91% of marketers claimed that their social marketing efforts greatly increased their exposure, boosting brand awareness and recognition. Plus, over 130 million Instagram users tap on in-app shopping features every month (source).

5. Only posting advertisements

The fifth and final mistake is using your social media to purely advertise and sell your products. Sure, social media is a great way to promote your brand and generate leads, but the last thing you want to do is be known as the annoying car salesman of the internet. Your audience wants to experience your brand the moment they touch down on your page. Your brand should aim to be a part of someone’s day, not an interruption. In fact, 86% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support (source). Here are some examples of content that you can use to show more of your brand:

1. Show off your lifestyle
2. Show your face, people want to see who they’re following
3. Be open about your success and failures
4. Feature customers and users
5. Offer advice and information about your products

Navigating the social media world can be difficult, and everyone wants to be a social media star. If you want to reach this status, learning about what succeeds and what doesn’t can go a long way. Contact us to learn how you can take your brand to the next level.