Social media is meant to be just that – “social”. It’s easy for anyone to use social media, which is the beauty of the platforms! But it’s also just as easy to make mistakes, because social media for business is an entirely different ball game than your personal social media.
Are you posting every day and only hearing crickets? If you’re constantly putting out content to the world without being social on it yourself, you’re not going to get the results you want for your online business.
Let’s dive in and talk about 10 social media mistakes your business is making:
1 - You're not responding to DM's or comments on your posts
If you’re always posting and not responding to the comments or DM’s for your audience – that’s straight up ignoring them and sending them a clear message that you don’t care. Make sure to answer any questions, like any comments and respond to any messages you receive. It’s no different than getting an e-mail or text!
2 - You're not engaging with others
To expand on the first point, you also need to make sure you’re engaging with others social media accounts. This should be your target audience, other businesses, or your professional network. You need to show up and show that you care – not to mention it will help your posts in the algorithm, too.
If you have a brand new online business, here are 5 things you must have in your digital marketing strategy.
3- Your profiles are lacking information to capture and engage your audience
Can a reader quickly understand who you are, what you do and why you do it? Make sure to fill out every section of your profile pages on your accounts – especially your contact information. If you have a freebie or opt-in for your e-mail list, make sure to include it as a call to action when they first visit your profile.
4 - You're not using the right hashtags - or enough!
Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest all value hashtags – so use as many as allowed for each platform that are RELEVANT and specific to your business and your industry. Don’t always go for hashtags that have million of posts as yours will get lost in the sea.
5 - You're not providing valuable information for your audience
Don’t post a picture or quote of something that has no context just for the sake of posting something that day. Your audience is following or listening to you for a reason, so make sure to nurture and provide them with helpful information and tips about your industry, services and products.
Do you know who your target audience rrreaalllyy is? Figure out who they are here.
6 - You don't use call-to-actions (CTA's)
Don’t assume people know what you want them to click on or do. Tell them exactly what you want them to do. Click on your link in bio? Leave a comment? Respond to your question? Sign up for a program? Tell them in your post so they know!
7 - You don't have a clear brand
This is more than your brand colours and logo. It’s about how people feel when they interact with your brand. How do you want them to feel when they come across your profile or read a post? Happy? Inspired? Curious? Make sure you put that emotion into your social media copy. Also watch how you project your voice to your audience – this is called brand voice!
Your brand needs to be consistent across every platform you’re on – social media, website, blog, video, podcasts, everywhere.
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8 - You're not sharing your customer's wins
Your customers are your biggest advocates – let them explain how you helped them! People don’t want to hear all about you just from you. Honest.
Ask them to fill out a Facebook review, or provide a testimonial that you can post about. Share a post with their permission if they tagged you or your product in it.
9 - Your content is all over the map
It’s not consistent. Your photos don’t match your brand, your copywriting talks about things that don’t relate to your business, your Pinterest board topics are all over the map, you’re pushing sales only or your brand colours are all over the place. You don’t have a strategic message that you’re putting out on a daily basis.
For Instagram, you especially need to be strategic with your grid layout when someone visits your profile. Does it flow together nicely with your brand goals?
10 - You don't have a social media strategy
Do you have goals you’re working towards with your social media? Do you know why you’re using a certain social media platform for your business? Create a plan for your business with goals for each quarter, and review your analytics on a monthly basis to make sure they’re working!
It’s okay if you have made these social media mistakes, it’s never to late to start or change your social media strategy! You can start implementing new techniques right away and your audience will notice. If you want some extra help, send me a message here and we can talk about a personalized social media for your online business created by me.