Social media is a very useful tool if you know what to do with it.
But you have to be careful and make sure you don’t make one of the more common social media mistakes.
It can take some thoughtful planning and organization to get it right. Of course, it helps to be patient with yourself and realize that not all social media plans can be executed correctly the first time, either.
In this article, you can read more about some of
the more common ways to mess up your social media as well as how to fix the problem
before it starts.
Understanding social media’s purpose
Before we dive into the list, it’s important to
consider the main purpose of social media for your business. Without the right
use, you may struggle in other social media areas, too.
Here are a few key things to remember about
social media’s uses:
- Social media isn’t everything: Some users
expect social media to work miraculously to promote their business. Starting a
new account, they may post a few short things and then quickly forget about it.
Or, they might expect posts to just ‘go viral’ without extra work and
immediately bring attention to their companies. Social media doesn’t quite work
like that—if you do get good traction, it’s the result of a lot of hard work
(generally speaking). Don’t expect to be ‘discovered’ without putting in the
effort and legwork. - Social media puts your message where your readers and visitors go
online: The main thing social media does for you is
put your message right out in front of potential new patients. You’re unlikely
to attract visitors to places they don’t already go—if your audience doesn’t
use Twitter, for instance, you’re unlikely to be able to convince them to
start. You should take the time to figure out where your audience is before
trying to reach them. - Social media doesn’t always help: Sometimes,
having a social media profile doesn’t make much of a difference for your
business. It may not even help at all. If your organization has a ton of unused
social media profiles, for example, or has profiles that aren’t updated often,
then they may even be hurting your online presence. Instead of having a lot of
weak profiles, it’s usually better to have one or two that you’re really
dedicated to using.
Now that we’ve talked about social media’s
limitations, it’s time to discuss a few top social media mistakes.
Social media mistakes: Top blunders to avoid
Skip these social media faux pas:
- Not finishing your profile.
Fill-out your profile with photos, keywords, and posts to get the best results. - Not updating often. Updating your
profile gives you better algorithm standing and helps users find you. - Not engaging with readers.
Responding to comments is effective at building engagement with your page. - Not valuing your account enough to
set the priorities yourself. No offense to interns, but social media isn’t
something to leave to chance or be done half-heartedly. Don’t leave it to an
intern—at least not entirely. At the very least, set the priorities yourself
and get others to help you carry out your plans. - Focusing strictly on ads to boost
traffic. You don’t have to rely on advertising to drive social media
engagement. It costs money. Keep your cash and focus on building better SEO
(search engine optimization). Yes, SEO is also for social media. Use the right
keywords and build organic traffic to your profile that doesn’t end when you
stop buying ads. - Asking users to share your info
without providing relevant motivation. If your users don’t have good reasons to
share your content, why should they? - Not inviting engagement. You do
need to invite users to engage with your profile. Ask them to participate, and
give them ways to do it that are motivating and fun. - Not being willing to experiment.
You may need to experiment a little to find out what works for you on your
profile, but it’s worth it.
Plan out your social media, avoid making these
mistakes, and you should be able to start getting more traction from your page.
With a little patience and willingness to learn, social media can take you a
long way.
Source
Rawat, D. “Top 19 Social Media Marketing Mistakes You Should Avoid.” DreamGrow. https://www.dreamgrow.com/top-10-social-media-marketing-mistakes-that-you-mustnt-make/. Published: June 2018.
