5 Common Social Media Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

5 Common Social Media Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Ah, the social media scene. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest. It's a jungle out there for sure. A huge jungle.

Facebook has 1.23 billion daily users and has at least 50 million business pages since the end of 2015.

It's a place where you can keep up with your family, friends, and just about anything else you're interested in.

Including brands and businesses.

Whether you're just now deciding to join the ranks on social media or if you've already been there awhile, anybody can make a mistake.

Especially if you're not aware you're making a mistake.

Here are 5 common social media mistakes to look out for.

Social Media Mistake #1 Posting Whatever You Want

Social media is the digital representation of you.

You show people videos, images, and posts that you relate to. They mean something to you. That's part of social media.

This goes for businesses and brands, too. Social media is the digital representation of your brand.

That's why it's important to separate yourself from your brand.

It's not a good idea to say what you think and believe, especially if it's controversial. It's best to keep it to yourself.

Or at the very least, post them on your private social media, not your business social media.

It can be very damaging to see a brand argue with a customer.

#2 Too Much Self-Promotion

It can be hard to not constantly post about your brand. You can't help it - you want your brand known and you want customers or an audience.

But if you're posting only self-promotions and no other types of posts (i.e. interesting content and engagement), you're not doing your brand any favors.

In fact, you're probably damaging your social media reputation.

Avoid this social media mistake by finding a balance between self-promotion and interesting content.

#3 Posting Irrelevant Content

What do people like? Viral videos, cats, people doing dumb stuff, the list goes on.
There's a lot of content out there and you'll probably feel the urge to share that cat video that has 3 million views.

Unless you're an animal brand, don't.

The simple way to avoid this social media mistake is by posting only relevant content.

If a video goes viral and it happens to be something in relation to your brand (like if you're an animal brand), go for it!

But if not, save sharing that cat video for your own social media channel.

#4 Not Creating a Social Media Strategy

This one can really tie into mistakes numbers 2 and 3.

Social media is a strategy. It's an art.

Before dashing off to Facebook or having someone manage your social media, make sure that you have an adequate plan.

Look over and understand the blueprints of your plan and stick to them.

#5 Ignoring Your Audience

Part of social media is engagement. Engagement is a two-way street. Therefore, you should respond to your audience when they reach out to you. 

Whether it's a comment or a review, make sure to respond. 

This way, they know there's someone there behind the keyboard and that they're being listened to.

Need Help?

Social media can be a difficult thing to manage. As we've said - it's an art. It requires strategy. Sometimes it's best to leave it in the hands of professionals. 

If you are looking for an extra hand in your digital endeavors, contact us and let us help you improve your social media experience for your brand and your audience.