Social media is an excellent way to connect with your customers, build brand awareness, and drive sales. But to achieve these objectives, you need to understand how each platform operates and tailor your strategy accordingly.
Many brands make common mistakes when using social media as a business tool. Therefore, in this article, we will discuss seven social media pitfalls. By avoiding them, you’ll see much greater returns from your online efforts:
Not defining your target audience
It is only natural to want everyone to enjoy your brand. Yet, not everyone on social media will be a good fit for your brand. By defining your target audience, you will be able to focus your social media marketing efforts on individuals who are actually interested in your product.
There are many methods to discover your target audience. The easiest one is to do hashtag research. The audience that is interested in your niche will most likely follow relevant hashtags as well. So your job here is to discover these hashtags and use them in your posts.
Once you have identified your target audience, you can start crafting posts and sharing content that will be relevant to them.
Treating all social media platforms the same
There are many social media platforms, and each has its own set of rules, guidelines, and best practices. In other words, there’s no single “right” way to use social media. The key is understanding the differences between each platform and then tailoring your approach accordingly.
In a nutshell, a strategy that may be successful for Facebook may not be successful for LinkedIn. This post explains the differences between popular social media channels and the circumstances in which they should be used.
Not taking cyber security serious enough
Cyber security is an essential part of a successful social media strategy. Today, the threats are real: from identity theft to security breaches. Cyber attacks can have severe consequences for your reputation and finances.
Using strong passwords on your accounts is one of the simplest and most efficient ways to improve your security on social media channels. If you have difficulty creating complex passwords for your accounts, you can solve this problem by using a password manager.
A password manager makes your life easier by generating strong passwords for your accounts and storing them in one secure place.
Inconsistent posting
If you don’t stay active on social media, your engagement decreases. Customers may decide to use another brand while seeking services or products. By posting too frequently, you risk overwhelming your audience and losing followers. On average, it is recommended to post twice a day. This varies depending on the social media channel.
Not using insights
Ignoring the useful statistics offered by all social media networks is a mistake. If you don’t analyze your insights, your marketing campaign and social media strategy may suffer.
It would be best if you track metrics such as the following, likes, clicks, purchases, conversions, website visits, and other statistics. This will help you define your social media marketing strategy and improve outcomes.
If you have trouble figuring out insights, watch this video.
Posting like a robot
By showing your human side online, you can build trust with potential clients and create a personal connection that others can see.
It’s important to be authentic on social media because, often, social media is where people first get a glimpse of what your brand represents.
Post-behind-scenes content on social media. Validate the existence of actual people at your business by showcasing their voices and characteristics.
Another way to show your human side is to engage with your audience. Responding to comments and interacting with people is a great way to show people that you’re not a robot. Instead, it gives off the impression that you’re someone who cares about other people and their opinions.
Deleting negative comments/reviews
Deleting bad reviews on social media is a big no-no. Many people rely on social media to share their experiences with products. Delete comments or reviews will only make people more suspicious of your company. Instead, try to calm down the situation and keep discussions civil.
Being proactive and respectful of other people’s opinions is the best way to deal with negative comments about your company.
Conclusion
You execute a successful social media strategy when you use the right tools at the right time to ensure your efforts are as effective as possible. It takes a keen understanding of what works best in various scenarios. By avoiding these seven common pitfalls, you can get closer to making your approach to social media marketing precisely what it needs to be.
