Managing your organisation’s social media presence on a variety of platforms can be a daunting and time consuming affair. But with the increased usage of social media, incorporating social media marketing with your traditional marketing activities is a must.
Social media is a great way to connect with your customers thanks to its reach, transparency and convenience. But at the same time, there might be mistakes that you may be committing without your knowledge, some of which could very well tarnish your image online and off. In other words, your audience’s perception of you might take a turn for the worst due to these mistakes.
Here are some of the most fundamental mistakes that we have noticed…
1. Not having a social media plan – Have you given thought to what your objectives are, who the target fan base is, what content you are going to post etc.? These are a few questions that you need to address at the initial stage just like with any other marketing strategy. Having a short but clear social media plan will make it easier for you to achieve your objectives.
2. Being Inactive – The number of businesses that set up profiles on various social media channels and don’t do anything more, is astonishing! Once you have created a social media presence it is imperative that you are active regularly. A business should constantly be aware of what’s happening on their social media accounts and engage frequently. If you are on the move, you can check in once in a while using your smart phone or tablet device. Be sure to respond to that comment and thank that retweet. It really goes a long way in building trust and helps keep your fans glued to your page.
3. Being present on every social network – Signing up on every social media site in an attempt to widen your reach may not suit your marketing plan, as different platforms attract different types of followers who may not be within your target customer base. In addition, the more platforms you are on, the more time you need to set aside to manage them. An easy way for you to choose the right platforms to establish your presence is by checking out your competitors’ social media activities.
4. Hashtag overuse – Following Twitter and Google+ and some other social media networks, Facebook too have introduced hashtags. The main reason for the usage of hashtags is to categorize the content under one topic that can be identified conveniently.
But abusing hashtags is a common sin today especially on Instagram and to a lesser extent on Facebook and Twitter. You should not fill in 2 to 3 lines filled with hashtags, like the above example, making it difficult for your followers or fans to understand what you’re talking about at a glance. A post at most could have 2 to 3 relevant hashtags to help your audience and prospects to identify your content based on the subject.
5. Hard-selling – Social media is not a sales tool; it’s an instrument that helps people connect and engage. No one would want to be bombarded by sales messages in their conversation space. Do promote your business, but keep it to a minimal. Focus instead on how you can add value to your audience. Do not bore them by overly promoting your business. Have a mix of posts which touch other aspects such as industry related news, latest happenings at your organisation, answers that address people’s common concerns would be a good way to go. Do not hesitate to use humour as well.
6. Buying followers – Buying likes, followers or subscribers for your social media account is a big mistake! Yes, it may inflate your number of fans or followers, but they will not generate any engagement. It’s similar to having a whole load of people inside your restaurant, who don’t order anything. Instead, advertising your business page to boost your social media presence is a better option.
Success in social media cannot be expected overnight and providing constant and useful content, creating business-related apps and always trying to be influential are some of the ways that can boost your presence.
Use the points we’ve mentioned above as a check-list to protect your business from these pitfalls. Of course, you can even drop us a line in the comments section if you’ve got any questions and we’d be delighted to help you out.
It is also important that you stay abreast with all the social media changes that are currently happening. Our social media team at solomoIT is always on the ball and is ready to provide you with any support or guidance that you may require. Let us know of other social media sins that you are aware of by dropping a comment below.
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About solomoIT
SolomoIT is a digital marketing agency, based in Sydney, Australia, offering fully integrated social, local and mobile marketing solutions.