“You need to be on social.”
You’ve heard it from every somewhat business savvy friend, relative, and associate. You’ve probably even heard it from us if you’re an existing client… And it’s true, if you’re not using social media to your advantage, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity for extra reach.
It’s very possible you already have profiles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, but we’re guessing if you’re honest it feels like you’re wasting your time. Right? You’ve posted your special offers and funny cat pictures, but aside from a guaranteed like on every post from that enthusiastic uncle, you’re not seeing any traction.
That’s because, like the vast majority of businesses on social, you’re doing it all wrong.
May we present our list of 7 social media mistakes.
Posting the exact same thing on every platform
We’ve all been guilty of this one, but it really is the cardinal sin of social. Each platform has a different audience and they all foster very different type of interaction. Use this to your strength. Twitter promotes discussion, so ask questions! Facebook is great for events, so use this to promote special events like sales. Instagram is great for story driven content; testimonials from clients do very well here.
At the VERY LEAST, don’t just link to your Facebook post. Turn off that Twitter/Facebook link right away. Apart from the fact you’re making people go through extra steps for no good reason, folks without a Facebook account won’t be able to see anything!
A wasted opportunity, and perhaps even a lost customer for good.
Not interacting with your audience
It’s called social media for a reason. You’ve gotta get social with your audience!
A shocking number of businesses simply post about their latest product, and then disappear for a few weeks. By ignoring comments and likes you’re leaving amazing opportunities to engage on the table.
You don’t need to write an essay, but a quick reply to comments goes a long way in building respect for your brand.
Being passive
Our years of experience in marketing tell us that “brands” who initiate and join existing conversations do so much better, in comparison to those who don’t.
Look up the hashtags relating to your niche, and provide some meaningful insight to the conversation.
Don’t spam every hashtag under the sun, don’t just talk about your wares. Do share your expertise where it’ll be genuinely useful.
Not offering multiple ways to learn more
This one applies more to musicians and artists, but the concept is valid for every entity looking for attention online.
Let’s say you’re a band, and you have a link in your bio to Spotify. Well, guess what; I’m not going to click that link because I don’t have Spotify!
A link to your own website that doesn’t force me to sign in however is a very smart choice. You can add further links from that page, but you need to make it as easy for interested parties as possible.
Fatiguing existing customers
It’s all well and good having a following, but if you bombard them with the same “buy our product” post every day, they’re going to unfollow you. That’s a promise!
Keep the sales content to a minimum, and focus on delivering value. The sales will come anyway, without needing to saturate your feed.
Relying on one platform
Imagine if you had spent years building up your MySpace account back in the 2000s, and completely ignored Facebook when it came along… You’d be in a whole world of trouble now.
And speaking of Facebook, it’s already showing signs of becoming irrelevant. It won’t be long before the platform is a bad option for marketing to the younger crowd, in particular.
Not having a website
We’re a bit biased here because we build websites, but believe us when we say that building a following on a platform YOU control is absolutely essential if you want to avoid paying to play further down the road… Even the biggest players in the world are still building their mailing lists, so why aren’t you?
Having a website and email marketing list ensures your message is heard every time without having to pay through the nose to “boost” your posts.
