Are you making the ultimate social media mistakes?

Do you want to become a wizard when it comes to communicating with your audience via social media?  Of course you do!

Social media marketing can often be as detrimental as it is beneficial to an organization if it is not being used properly, that is.

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, the list of social media applications is growing longer and longer every day. These platforms can be considered the most dangerous weapons in a company’s arsenal. For better, or for worse.

There are many social media mistakes that you will need to be conscious of in order to get on your way to scoring high distinction in social media marketing.

Your social media mistakes are killing your brand and you don’t even know it. In this post, we’re dishing on the mistakes you need to avoid.

You’ll be cruising towards social media excellence if you keep in mind these important factors.  Your competitors are brushing up on their knowledge of all things social media, shouldn’t you? Let’s talk social media don’ts!

Watch out for spam

Spamming will only result in your target audience taking you less seriously.

While social media is fast-paced and ever-changing, everything that you post should be quality content. Often companies panic because social media demands a high frequency of posting. This results in the posting of any old thing just to remain at the top of their audience’s news feed.

Don’t do this! Would you post something on your company web page that you didn’t feel 100% confident would reflect the organization in a bright, shiny light? No.

Take the time to post relevant links and content to your socials. Your audience will thank you by way of social media interactions.

Be interactive

You need to interact with your audience, even a little bit each day.

When was the last time you responded to a comment on Facebook or followed somebody back on Twitter? Was it within the last hour? If not, you’re making another social media mistake.

It is called social media. That means it requires some back and forth conversation with other users.

You can form relationships, even business ones, through social media platforms. Customer interactions that are made through these channels can yield just as well as interactions through other types of sourcing.

Respond in a timely manner

So maybe you are interactive but you’re too slow.

Social media marketing is basically a giant game of beat the clock. If someone is interacting with your content, you can bet that they are anticipating almost immediate responses.

If your response time is lagging, you are losing followers that were interested and engaged. This a major social media mistake and can be somewhat difficult to come back from.

These platforms function in real time and you must follow suit.

Gain followers organically

Your client wants to know what you’re really like. Are you being genuine to your brand?  Are you working diligently to gain a digital following that is a true representation of your real life clientele?

The internet is plagued by trolls and bots. It is sad but true. Unfortunately, social media is no different.

Your followers should be engaging because they are genuinely interested in your content not because they want you to follow them back and like their posts.

You want your customers. You want your target audience. You want new, prospective clients.

It is important that you never buy fake followers.  Having a following of thousands that don’t care about your content is not nearly as valuable as having a following of hundreds that are engaged and are a representation of those that you are trying to market towards.

Fake followers will “up your numbers” and make you “look” popular but these factors are irrelevant when you are using social media for marketing your business.

Social media is an excellent tool when it comes to brand awareness and marketing is all about your brand. Highlighting the strengths and authenticity of your product or service is what marketing is all about.

You created your brand the way you did for a reason. These platforms should be utilized to showcase that branding!

You want to build loyalty and clientele through these channels. Do so by being true to your brand.

Have a plan

You’re going rogue. You’re flying blind. You’re throwing caution to the wind.

If you don’t have a plan, you’re making another social media mistake. A plan is non-negotiable.

Social media marketing should be treated as any other form of traditional marketing would be. Would you send out a piece of print marketing content, like a newsletter for instance, without having an editor to proofread the writing, or a graphic designer to make sure all the colors are appealing and on brand? No!

It is essential that you deliver an effective message to your target audience.  Social media is a fantastic way to do so but if you don’t have a plan of where you’re trying to take your sites and how you are going to do so, you’re toying with disaster.

Hashtags are the recipe for success

Maybe you’re not using them at all.

Hashtags are the icing on the social media cake. If you aren’t putting time into utilizing them properly, or aren’t using them at all, you are making yet another social media mistake.

Hashtags are a way to track what is popular on social media. They are also a way for your audience to find you.

It can be beneficial for you to hashtag keywords about your product or service. You can also use popular hashtags that are already in circulation to widen your reach.

You should always research a hashtag before you use it. It can have some sort of meaning that you are not aware of and can end up sending the wrong message.

Don’t overdo it but utilize hashtags often. This is a great way to grow your following and raise brand awareness.

Put a positive spin on it

I repeat, there are a lot of trolls and bots on social media. If they find you, they may post something negative. Competitors in disguise may also try to utilize this tactic.

Do not delete negative comments about your brand. Do not ignore negative comments either.

This comes back to interacting. Respond in a positive way. This shows that you hear what your followers have to say.

You have nothing to hide. Positivity in light of their negativity will showcase the brand well.

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