With over 2 billion users across the likes of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest, engaging with customers on social media requires a good strategy and more than a little personality. Sharing news about events or products is important, but making sure people want to see the message is crucial.
However, it’s easy to misstep and drive away customers. Flooding users with messages, regularly begging for shares and likes, or simply going too far off brand can all damage your audience’s interest, possibly permanently.
So what should you do? And, more importantly, what should you avoid doing? Below, 15 members from YEC talk about the common social media mistakes they see companies making, as well as why they matter.
1. Sending Out Too Much Content
– Justin Blanchard, ServerMania Inc.
2. Not Addressing Complaints
– Jonathan Long, Sexy Smile Kit
3. Trying to Grow Too Many Social Media Platforms at Once
– Alex Miller, Upgraded Points
4. Jumping Into the Political Arena
– Nicholas Haase, Startup Drugz
5. Not Reviewing Automated Status Updates Before Posting
6. Repeating Content, Word for Word, Across All Channels
Consistency is important, but it does help to make small changes to the content or repurpose it in a way that makes it fresh for every channel. Otherwise your audience will just think you are lazy and have nothing different to offer.
– Angela Ruth, Due
7. Being Overly Promotional
Naturally, you want to use social media for branding and promotion. But if all or most of your posts are simply ads or links to product pages, people will tire of this quickly. Remember that people go on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social sites to socialize and be entertained, or maybe to learn something new. So provide value as well as promoting your business!
8. Begging for Likes and Shares
Begging for likes and shares is something most teenagers have learned not to do, so it’s always a little awkward when a company is doing it with content that hasn’t found a voice yet. Don’t ask for engagement. Earn it by producing good content and interacting with the people who are willing to engage.
9. Getting Stuck in a Long Back-and-Forth
10. Ignoring the Public Relations Options
Social media is a great tool for brands to communicate concise messages and interact with customers, but the opportunity of utilizing PR is often ignored. If you ever have a PR issue, social media is very effective for managing the situation, taking responsibility, reacting immediately and responding to feedback.
11. Lacking Community Management
A high engagement rate is every brand’s goal. You can have amazing content, but if you don’t manage your online community by responding to comments, answering inquiries and facilitating conversation, then your engagement will fall flat. Have a community manager who will be the voice of your brand and create an inviting and welcoming online environment for your online community.
– Jared Brown, Hubstaff Talent
12. Posting Meaningless Content
As tempting as it is to fill your timeline, stop posting meaningless content. All of your posts need to be focused on your core message or in response to a customer’s problem. Anything else is pointless.
– Rakia Reynolds, Skai Blue Media
13. Being Boring
What interests brands — particularly executives — is rarely what interests customers. The best social media pros think about who customers are and what they’re interested in. It can be hard for entrepreneurs to step back and realize that their obsessions aren’t likely to produce a compelling social media presence for the average consumer, which is why social media professionals are in great demand.
14. Not Having a Schedule
Your audience should know when to expect new content from you, and having a schedule helps you remain focused. A brand with a social media presence that only posts intermittently can confuse current customers and it’ll be tough to build trust with new ones. – Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
15. Straying Too far Off Brand
Social Media is Your Gateway to the World
If you aren’t currently using social media to its full potential, you are likely missing out big time. While most brands and bloggers have a preferred platform for growing their following and sharing content, if you are using each of them separately, you are going to be missing out on a big chunk of traffic. Be sure to implement each of the social media tips above to get the most out of your online marketing and branding efforts.
We hope you enjoyed this latest expert round-up full of actionable tips and advice from industry experts around the world. Be sure to read through our how to start a blog article, with advice and tips from over 82 different experts who have already found success in the world of blogging.