7 Common Social Media Marketing Mistakes to Avoid.

Of the approximately 7 billion people in the world, about 4 billion of them are active social media users and the number is projected to keep increasing. Besides that, 44.8% of global internet users used social media to search for brand information in 2020. So, I bet you know that the question is not whether to have a presence on social media. That ship has sailed. Now, the discourse is on how to leverage the large population of people using social media to your advantage. 

However, considering you are not the only brand or business that has this information, you can imagine the competition you are faced with. This is why you cannot afford to keep making social media marketing mistakes. These mistakes will cost you and keep you out of the running of an already-stifling competition. Think about it; surely even if you cannot be ahead in the competition, the least you can do is to be in the running. And the only way to do that is to do social media marketing right.

Having said that, what are the common social media marketing mistakes to avoid? I will be discussing some below.

Not Having a Social Media Plan

Being great at social media marketing is more than being able to manage your personal page/account. There is so much strategy that needs to go into social media marketing like any other marketing campaign that you cannot afford to treat it like you would your personal page. You need to plan and have a strategy in place.

Before you start at all or as you are setting up your account, you should determine your target audience. Remember that not every social media user is your audience. Your target audience is your potential customers, the people you are selling to, and you can determine them by creating a buyers’ persona. Once you have done that, you can then plan a strategy – based on your marketing goals – that would work for your target audience. Don’t just dive into social media marketing headlong; make sure to have a plan on how you will go about achieving your goals. 

Not Engaging

Social media is largely about communication and since it is communication, it takes two to tango. You don’t want to be that brand that comes off as one that loves the sound of their voice. You need to engage your followers and not just throw information at them. That means creating content that encourages engagement, responding to comments, being involved in relevant discussions and acknowledging brand mentions.

Being Rigid

The internet – and by extension, social media – is constantly evolving. So you cannot afford to be rigid. You have to be flexible, open to change and quick to adapt. The platforms themselves are constantly updating their algorithm and your audience might exhibit dynamic behaviours and you will have to adapt if you want to stay relevant.

Not Being Consistent

Like any venture, consistency is important. You cannot expect your social media account to grow when you post once a week or once every other week. People need to see activity on your accounts to follow you and engage with your brand. You don’t have to post every day if you cannot manage it. But have a plan and stick with it, so even your followers will know when and how you post. However, on average, most brands post 3-4 times a week so you could always go that route.

Overdoing Things

There is also another side to posting consistently where you start overdoing it. Nobody wants to be spammed; keep it moderate. Again, make sure that you have more relevant and engaging posts than you do adverts. If you are all about marketing your products or services, you will likely lose some of your followers. Occasional promotion is great but don’t make your page solely about advertising. 

Not Tracking Performance

Remember that your business account is different from your personal account except you have a personal brand or you are the face of the business. For a business account, there is a marketing goal that you are hoping to achieve. So, it is expected that you make sure you are realising your goal. Thankfully, all the platforms come with an analytics feature to track your performance. Take advantage of it; it will show you what you are doing well and what to discard to achieve your marketing goals. 

Treating All Platforms the Same

One of the social media marketing mistakes to avoid is treating all the social media platforms the same. All the platforms don’t work the same way; they are unique and it is evident in the tone of the space and the people active on it. For instance, Instagram is more visually appealing while Twitter is a forum. So, the marketing strategy used on Twitter should differ from that of Instagram. Don’t lump all the platforms together; make sure to treat them as unique as they are. 

To wrap up, if you’d rather hire a social media agency to handle your social media marketing, you can reach out to us. Also, let us know in the comment section if you found this article relevant.