Social media marketing is arguably one of the greatest digital marketing methods available for businesses to utilise today. That said, it’s very easy to misuse it. In this article, we’re going to share some of the biggest and most common mistakes that new businesses make all the time on their socials. Here’s what to watch out for:
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1
Obviously, there are many businesses out there that don’t use social media at all. This is a huge mistake. If you have a business and a website, you must be present on social media. Otherwise there is simply so much potential going to waste.
2Posting inconsistently
And then there are those who are present on social media, but not nearly enough.
The key to successful social media marketing is showing up. If you post five times in a week, then twice the week after, then not at all for two weeks, you’ll largely be wasting your time.
Create a content development schedule and stick to it like clockwork!
3Not understanding your audience
You’d be amazed by how many people think they know their audience when in truth, they only know the basics: age, gender, location.
If you want to maximise your earning potential through social media, you need to know your audience like the back of your hand – and tailor your message directly to them.
4Not creating content to fit the channel
One thing you’ll notice a lot of business owners do is create a social post and then just copy & paste it across all channels. This is a mistake. Instead, you should be utilising each social media platform to its full potential.
For example, if you have a long-form blog post for your website:
- Share it to Facebook.
- Take the information and put it into an Infographic for Instagram.
- Or, break the fundamentals into Tweets.
- Then screengrab those Tweets and post them on Instagram.
- Create a video and transcribe the blog for YouTube.
Every platform is different – as should your content be.
5Failing to engage
Respond to your followers’ comments on your posts. After all, it’s called “social media” for a reason.
It’s also worth following other industry-relevant users and engaging with them as often as possible. When you add high-value comments to other people’s posts, you are invariably increasing your overall reach.
6Ignoring negative reviews
Take the time to respond to all feedback – not just the positive. This gives you a great opportunity to try and rectify the issues, while also demonstrating to your audience that you value their feedback.
It’s also handy if someone leaves an unjust negative review for no good reason because you can politely call them out on it.
7
It’s not a gimmick: having social media icons on your website is a good way to gather new followers. Some people who end up on your website as a result of your SEO efforts, but aren’t quite ready to buy might wish to check your socials out to see what kind of engagement and feedback you get from your audience. Make it easy for them!
Final thoughts: If you’re gonna do it, do it well
Let’s have a quick recap:
- DO use social media
- DO post consistently
- DO understand your audience
- Create content to fit the channel
- Engage with everyone
- Respond to all reviews (including negative)
- Add social icons to your website
If you are going to invest your time in social media, make sure that you do it properly. The fact is, the results that you can achieve through a solid social media marketing campaign are far too good to be ignored!
Another alternative is to outsource your needs to the pros. There are many agencies who provide awesome Facebook advertising services, including a multitude of other social platforms as well.
Delegate well and focus on what you do best.
