The Internet is a fairly old medium, but social media is still a relatively new phenomenon. Newer still, in terms of marketing and business usage. Not every business owner is in touch with social media best practices. Not everyone knows how to get the best out of social sites.
We’ve all made mistakes when it comes to social sites — what works on one platform (Facebook) does not on another (Twitter). The generally acceptable rules of engagement at one place might well be frowned upon on another one.
Trial and error, is one way to learn. Or you can follow these guidelines to avoid these mistakes in the future, and make the best of your social media efforts.
Here are 10 common social media mistakes to avoid:
Not having a social media strategy
The first requirement for social success is to have a strategy. And follow it. You need to have a plan in place that ties your social efforts with your business goals. Basic step, yet perhaps the most important.
Not measuring your social media efforts
Statistics are the lifeline for online marketers. You cannot tell what you are doing wrong, if you are not quantifying your efforts. In fact, you are just wasting your time, while missing out on opportunities.
Spreading yourself too thin
If you have the luxury of a dedicated social media team, then great. Otherwise, it is better to focus on a few networks, where you know you have a target audience. Doing it all means, you’ll only be spreading yourself too thin.
Not engaging
Don’t just focus on posting content. Your ultimate goal should be to engage with your target market, respond and interact with you audience. If not, then you’re doing it all wrong.
Posting what you want
If you only post what’s on your mind, and forego what your audience is thinking about, or wants to know, then that’s another fine way to fail. Focus on the needs of your target market, try to think what they are thinking, and you’re halfway there.
Not using images
Text is great, but images are greater. Worth a thousand words, and all that, remember? If you want user engagement, then clever usage of photos, pictures, art and images should be high on your list. Studies have shown 93% of the most engaging posts on social media used images of some sorts.
Not using hashtags
One of the best ways to attract new followers to your social accounts, hashtags can be used to find new conversations, or locate prospective clients and customers.
Posting sporadically
Infrequently posting on your social accounts (only when you want some traffic or attention) is surely not the way to go if you want to build trust with your followers. If anything, it’s the exact opposite.
Not being consistent across platforms
If you want to create a recognizable social presence, then make sure your design, content and voice is consistent across the various social websites. The bigger your online business gets, the more attention you’ll have to pay to this point.
Not networking
These are called social networks for a reason! Sure, they are a platform for you and your business, but don’t just spend all your time with your own content. Reach out to others too, via mentions and tagging.