25 mistakes to avoid when using Social Media
If you want your social media engagement to help promote your company, rather than the other way around, try to avoid doing the following:
1. Do not be aware of the latest news and trends
In 2016, the Wendy’s fast food chain posted an Internet meme on the networks with the image of Pepe the Frog next to its name, so that the thought of a new mascot immediately suggested itself. The employee of the company who placed the cute, in his opinion, frog, most likely did not even know that Pepe had recently become a symbol of racism and white supremacy.
Most of the responses were something like this: Before posting anything on social networks, do a little research so that the same story as with “Wendy’s” does not happen to you.
2. To joke too much
Joke, but know when to stop. You probably know very well, or at least have heard about the Yanni vs. Laurel audio clip, which divided the opinions of users into two parts – one heard Yanni, the other – Laurel.
The controversy went on for a long time, but without understanding what was the matter, the USAF officer posted the following post on the BBC’s Twitter account:
3. Confuse personal and professional
Amusing and interesting posts are the basis for success, both for your personal account and for your company account. But don’t forget when you speak to people on your own behalf, and when – on behalf of the company.
Remember that posts are different posts, and it is important to feel the line between personal and “public”. An internet marketer promoting his company on social media needs to feel the line between personal and “public”. You should not post a photo of what you had for lunch today on the company’s social page (unless your company is engaged in something like healthy eating …)
4. Get angry in response to negative reviews
Promotion in social networks is accompanied by an increase in the number of reviews, including, unfortunately, negative ones. Remember that negative comments are there to help you fix something, so they only contribute to your growth.
Instead of being sarcastic in response, stop, think, and try to fix the problem. In short, treat such posts with an open mind, much like the Toblerone internet manager reacted to a message sent by one of the buyers on the company’s Facebook page.
Toblerone responded to the customer:
“Good afternoon, Michael. We apologize for not immediately noticing your complaint. Could you tell us as much as possible about what happened to you: please write where and when you bought this package, and if you still have a receipt, a copy of it. Thank you very much for reporting this incident to us. We are looking forward to your reply. “
When your customers feel that you are genuinely trying to help them, they calm down and you save your company’s reputation.
5. Forget about editing
Editing text is a very important process. Do not expect your typos and grammatical mistakes to be overlooked: there are many more literate readers than you think. Therefore, carefully edit each of your text before posting it on the networks.
6. Do not correct unintentional mistakes
But even if you treat all your posts responsibly and edit absolutely everything, you cannot completely protect yourself from inaccuracies and overlaps. The reason is that we are all human, and the human factor is present even in space.
When you find a perfect blunder, don’t leave it uncorrected. If you realized that your data is not entirely correct, be sure and immediately report it in your next post, you can even joke a little, but look, do not overdo it with humor!
7. Post only when inspiration comes
Another remark regarding the private and the public. By maintaining your own personal page, you can only “post” when inspiration strikes you, but treating your company’s business account the same way is almost tantamount to a failure of your brand’s reputation on social media.
You can only promote your company’s account if you post as often as possible. Experts advise doing this with approximately the following regularity:
- Facebook and Instagram – once or twice a day;
- Twitter: 5-10 tweets per day;
- Pinterest: 5-30 posts per day
- Linkedin: 20 posts per month
8. Forget what your subscribers have chosen you for
In this world, those who succeed are mainly those who are not obsessed with the desire to increase their income, but are passionate about their work and inspired by the fact that what they do really helps people (for example, in improving their life or health).
Therefore, when dealing with social networks, do not forget about this aspect of the issue – your mission to help society and all those who are looking at your account now. Share with your followers only relevant content that will be really useful and can make their life easier.
9. Look too intrusive and advertizing
While promoting new products and services is one of your primary concerns, try not to overdo it. Most people have a subtle sense of intrusive ads and do not want to be a subscriber who only does what spurs them on to buy something.
10. Leave unanswered comments on your posts
Your goal is to engage users and make them active members of your business account. If you do not reply to a user’s comment, they will never become your subscriber. Therefore, do not forget to respond to any posts (even the negative ones mentioned above). When responding to responses, try to adhere to the following rules:
- combine friendliness with professionalism.
- carefully read each review, and write a specific answer to it. Do not try to get away with empty phrases like: “Thanks for your comment!”
- help any user, even if he is not yet your subscriber. If you really help a person, he will almost certainly become your loyal follower.
11. Limit to only one platform
One platform is not so good for an ambitious business these days. Today Facebook (which includes Instagram) is the largest social network with over 2 billion users.
An active Facebook business account should be combined with two or three other platforms. See which platforms your competitors are using to help you choose the right social media for your business.
12. Maintain business accounts in all social networks
Continuing the thought started above, we will repeat: decide on several platforms, and not on absolutely all existing ones. The main thing is to conduct marketing research to understand which social networks your potential subscribers are most active on.
For example, if you are in the clothing or footwear business, Instagram is more likely to suit you than LinkedIn, and if you help people find work, then vice versa.
13. Buy subscribers
Some companies don’t sin by buying followers. While it may seem tempting to have a large following, don’t assume that these “dead souls” will suddenly become active participants in your social accounts.
The numbers aren’t everything. One “influencer” actively working with your brand is better than hundreds of false followers who ignore you.
14. Rarely post photos and videos
Photos and videos taken correctly attract thousands of users. This beautiful photo, for example, from the Emirates Facebook page attracted 254 comments.
15. Forget about your target audience
If, for example, your target market is business development, then you shouldn’t quote the latest tweet from Kylie Jenner or Taylor Swift.
16. Do not stand out from the crowd and be content with the general
Try to get away from clichés and make all your posts unique. If you have a creative streak, it’s not that difficult. Here are some interesting ideas that should work:
- interview with a satisfied client;
- an interesting story about your company;
- the answer to a question that is often asked by customers in your niche
17. Don’t use hashtags
Hashtags help users quickly and easily find what they need on the platform. But if you don’t use hashtags, users will not find you, but your competitors. Using the right hashtags will quickly boost your traffic and promote your account.
Take a look at how Foyles Bookshop skillfully uses hashtags on their Twitter page:
18. “Gray”, not memorable account
Such an account is unlikely to attract anyone, it will simply get lost against the background of its own kind. Social media users want to communicate with real people, not robots. Work on your messages, make them lively, friendly and fun. Check out this hilarious Twitter post from Taco Bell, for example.
19. Forget about contests and quizzes
Contests and quizzes are a great way to reach large audiences. By promising users to win something, you attract them to your landing page and make the most of them as your followers and customers. You don’t need to offer a trip to Italy or a million dollars at all, a small discount or coupon can already create a tangible stream of potential customers.
20. Do everything yourself (if you are not an internet marketer)
Can you handle Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest well on your own? Will you be able to run Instagram Stories every day, post 10 tweets, 30 pins, manage Facebook, and respond to all comments sent to each of your business accounts?
These responsibilities assume a full-time job of a well-trained professional, and if you are not a professional, you will never get it done as quickly, and most importantly, in the right way, as an experienced internet marketer does.
21. Don’t use influencers
Influencer marketing is a powerful marketing strategy with a high return on investment. Social media users trust influencer posts and opinions, and even more – the opinion of microinfluencers, Instagram enthusiasts. Cooperation with them is simply necessary: because they have armies of loyal subscribers, and they have already proven with the help of their accounts how good they are at demonstrating what they themselves believe in.
An example of this collaboration is the partnership between Proactiv and Kendall Jenner, who has become the “permanent representative” of this acne-fighting beauty company. Kendal was excellent at demonstrating the entire process of her treatment, and for Proactiv, the result was a tangible influx of new clientele.
22. Being overly familiar
Respect your potential clientele, do not try to gain their trust with buzzwords, slang and low-quality jokes – of course, depending on the area of your business. But even in the fashion industry, the words “you are beautiful” will work better than the constant “Wow!” and the like.
23. Don’t use paid advertising
To observe the measure in everything and adhere to the “golden mean” is one of the main commandments of a good internet marketer. Endless posts from your friends and family will not be able to help promote your social page, nor will the overuse of advertising media. You can’t do without them either, as paid advertising technologies can dramatically increase your traffic.
24. Always use only “your” content
Building a large number of subscribers is almost impossible without active user engagement. Your business account will be frustrating and disheartening if your content is constantly being created by you alone.
Engage and inspire users to create your content with their own hands. This can be easily done using the same contests and quizzes: ask, for example, users to post “their photo story” of using one of your products, and promise the winner a bonus in the form of a discount or coupon.
25. Don’t listen to the opinions of others
The faster your brand grows, the more people will talk about it. Marketing professionals cannot afford to ignore what others have to say about your company. To do this, there are tools such as “Hootsuite” and “Google Alerts”, which will help you find out about everything that is said about you, and immediately respond to it.
Avoid these mistakes and your marketing campaign will pay off handsomely.
So it all comes down to defining a clear line between good and bad marketing practices. Once you find the right balance for each of the above aspects (for example, “joke but in moderation” or “be sincere but not insensitive”), you know that you are moving in the right direction.
