Social media platforms have been a game-changer — for both businesses and customers.
As a marketer, and a customer, I continue to be amazed by tailor-made content and promotions that pop up on my social media feed. My interests, who I follow, what I like and the types of things I look for; all contribute to the experience I have every time I log in to my social accounts.
If you’re a business owner, you probably already know what a vital role social media plays today. It helps you reach out to a larger audience, directs traffic to your website, allows you to drive more revenue, and get more people talking about you. But all of this only happens when you’re using all the right tricks in the hat and avoid common social media mistakes.
So, what are these social media mistakes to avoid? How can you guarantee a great experience for your audience? Let’s dive in and know more.
Common Social Media Mistakes to Avoid
While it may be easy to stay updated with the latest trends to keep your social media marketing fresh and relevant, no one talks about what not to do.
While you may be following the best social media practices to create great content, certain crucial mistakes can completely mar your efforts. Here are the top five common social media mistakes to look out for:
1. Trying to Rule Every Platform
You may find yourself asking, ‘Do I need to be on every social media platform?’ The simple answer is, no. The industry you belong to, the products or services you offer, your target audience and your marketing goals are key factors that determine the best platforms to support your social media marketing efforts. For example, If you’re a B2B company, LinkedIn is more likely to boost your efforts than a platform like Pinterest that is directed towards more creative and personalized content. Thus, instead of wasting your time and efforts on every platform, understand which social media platforms are right for your business, and work towards creating an impact there.
2. Not Knowing Your Target Audience
Would you gift play-dough to a middle-aged person? Or would you gift Ancient History and Philosophy books to a toddler? Well, these might be extreme examples but creating content without knowing your audience can be as bad! Social media marketing efforts only bear desired results when your audience finds it relatable and relevant — the only way you can do that is by knowing who they are. The age group, demographics, gender, buying preferences and other vital information about your target audience will help you create a stronger and more impactful social media presence. You need to fine-tune your brand voice and tone, making it resonate with your audience. For example, if you’re an e-commerce store that sells pet supplies do some research to find out what pet owners are looking for, where they’re looking and what will make them come to you. You can’t sell dog food to a cat owner, no matter how creative you get!
3. Being Inconsistent
If you want to create an impact, be remembered and want people to keep coming back for more — consistency is key. With so many brands pegging for customers’ attention online, you need to be consistent and consistently good to keep your audience’s attention. What’s the best way to do that? Create a social media strategy, build a scheduling calendar, use tools to manage schedules, and monitor your audience’s behaviour to keep reinventing and strengthening your brand presence.
4. Creating Text Vs. Visuals Disconnect
What’s more important when creating a social media post — text or visuals? A common social media mistake that a lot of brands commit is giving visuals greater importance than the supporting copy text. The most important thing to consider is achieving a balance and correlation between both. While both text and visuals need to stand out on their own, they must be in sync. For example, if your text is talking about an upcoming event but the visual in no way depicts the same, the impact and meaning will be lost. You need to understand that some people consume only visuals, while others rely on text — but once one of the elements catches their attention, they look for the other to better relate with it.
Note: When creating visuals be sensitive to the environment and people’s sentiments. For example, if you’re a restaurant creating content during the COVID-19 pandemic, refrain from using images of large groups of people dining together to promote your restaurant businesses. Instead, keeping in mind the social distancing norms, use images of families at home, or individuals. Remember, it’s the smallest gestures that leave the biggest impact.
5. Disregarding People’s Comments
Out of all the common social media mistakes that brands could make, this one probably costs the most. The comments section is a pool of opinions, feedback, questions, experiences, and a lot more that could help you grow and connect with your audience. Failing to use this as an opportunity to grow will cost your brand a great deal. Not replying, deleting negative comments, setting unsatisfactory templated auto-responses, or simply ignoring queries are some of the common social media mistakes you could be making. However, from a marketing perspective, if you want to grow as a business, carefully analyze and understand what people are conveying through their comments to make your social media marketing more personalized for your audience. When you start taking your audience’s comments into account to rebuild or strengthen how and what you communicate with them, you will instantly see a boost in engagement.
Be a Social Media Marketing Maverick
Marketing has come a long way. From the traditional word-of-mouth and offline marketing to more professional Business Emails and personalized social media content, the idea has always been the same — reaching out to existing and potential customers to grow your business through a tailor-made experience.
Ever since the lockdown, owing to the Corona Virus, I see myself spending a lot more time scrolling through social media feeds. It’s wonderful to see how most brands have reinvented their strategies to meet the current norms and needs. Unfortunately, I also see some brands relentlessly pushing their products as ‘essentials’, while they’re really far from what we deem essential today! Come on, be sensitive.
The fact that you’ve read so far means you want to know more about the common social media mistakes to avoid — you’re already one step closer to winning.
Rethink your strategy and make sure you’re not making any not-so-silly mistakes.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to add them to the comments section below (we take these very seriously!). Also, head to our Marketing Blog Category to learn more and stay updated.
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