5 Common Social Media Marketing Mistakes To Avoid
Social media is a lively series of platforms allowing people to engage, connect and interact, and with the number of active social media users already having surpassed 2.5 billion users [and increasing each and every day], it seems as if the whole world has jumped on the social media bandwagon!
Both established and small local businesses are spending a lot of money to build their brand awareness through social networks, because that is evidently where they can attract the biggest crowd.
However, when it comes to social media marketing, everyone makes mistakes. In fact, we are sharing 5 common ones, so that you have the awareness to avoid them moving forward, because nobody wants their online audience to dwindle down to nothing! Read on for our list of 5 common social media marketing mistakes to avoid.
1) Using Industry Jargon In Your Messaging
Are you desiring content that actually works? Well, it is important to craft clear and concise messaging that caters to your target audience, keeping in mind their thoughts, wants and needs. Using industry jargon in your messaging is a very easy and common mistake to make, but it can be disastrous for your marketing strategy.
You may feel tempted to show “how qualified” you are by jumping in with the vocabulary you have gained through experience, but although it may read perfectly straightforward to you, that is usually not the case for your audience.
If your audience is not able to resonate with or understand your messaging with ease, it immediately loses its effectiveness; people may feel alienated or offended, ultimately branding your business as unprofessional.
2) Posting And Ghosting
If you feel you are needing more engagement in your social media marketing strategy, you may be guilty of posting and ghosting!
What exactly is posting and ghosting, you may ask? Here are a few ways we would define this phrase -
Posting then completely vanishing
Posting then being inconsistent
Posting and then neglecting to check back until a week or so later
Posting often, but then leaving your audience’s comments unread or not responding to them
A crucial piece of social media marketing [whether via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.] is the SOCIAL aspect; we often focus too much on the ‘media’ side of things, but for growth and a long-lasting impact, the ‘social’ is where we should be putting our efforts.
Oftentimes entrepreneurs or small business owners post content to their social media channels, but then quickly disappear or become unresponsive to comments or further interaction. This harmful pattern of behaviour ultimately gives a negative impression of you and your business, and lessens both your credibility and connections.
Consistency and genuine engagement are key to successful social media marketing, so it is best to steer clear of making this mistake!
3) Ignoring Your Analytics
Ignoring your analytics in your social media marketing can be quite damaging to your overall strategy and success as a business. Why? Analytics offer valuable insights into the performance of your social media efforts, granting you the ability to keep track of key metrics and audience engagement patterns.
If you put your analytics on the back burner, you are missing out on an easy and effective way to gain information about your followers and their preferences. And, without this data, it becomes difficult to cater both content and timing to your target audience.
Analytics also help you to evaluate the success of your social media initiatives, so by not tracking these metrics, you are missing out on the opportunity to know what is working and what isn’t, crippling your ability to optimize your marketing efforts.
So, you’re wanting a stronger online presence? Pay attention to your analytics!
4) Not Having Conversations With Your Audience
This one is key! Communication is a two-way street, so to get the desired ROI and exposure, and to get people to actually care about your brand and services, start interacting with your audience and listen to what they have to say!
Lack of communication with one’s audience is a frequent mistake we see in social media marketing. By neglecting the opportunity for more interaction with your audience, you will experience negative consequences such as surface-level relationships, decreased engagement, no feedback for growth and an unrelatable and robotic presence.
5) Posting Only About What You Are Selling
In our opinion, the number 1 marketing mistake you can commit is posting content that is solely about what you are selling. After all, social media is about socializing and communicating with people, rather than acting like a salesperson on a high-and-mighty mission.
Do not get us wrong - promoting your products and services is a significant aspect in social media marketing, however an excessive spotlight on sales can be off-putting to your audience, and yes, detrimental to your business.
For the most part, people seek online content that is valuable and engaging, so if your posts are largely sales-focused, it may come across as self-promotional and spammy, leading to a disconnect with your audience.
To us, successful social media marketing is all about building a community around your brand; it is important to create educational, entertaining and inspiring content that draws your audience in, sparks conversations, and encourages them to stick around.
By creating an online space that is trustworthy and genuine, your followers or customers will naturally take an interest in all that you have to offer!
What common social media marketing mistakes would YOU add to our list?