Many companies know that social media is a great way to connect with their audience and that is why they choose to explore this medium as a marketing channel. Social media plays a huge role in increasing brand awareness, facilitating communication with audiences, and increasing the overall reach.
There is a lot that goes into social media posting, brands should not be posting just for the sake of posting. Companies need to use social media with a clear goal and strategy in mind to outline how they will use these channels to increase brand awareness.
Here are a couple of examples of what NOT to do on social media and why.
1. Going into social media with no strategy
Going into social media with no strategy can not only be a waste of resources but it can have the opposite effect of what you intend. A strategy is an essential foundation for any successful business as it will outline the specific approach taken to reach an established goal. A social media strategy should not only be focused on the number of posts per week, but should also outline the types of posts that will most likely engage customers, the hashtags that should be tested and used, the tone for social media posts, the themes surrounding the posts and much more.
2. Setting up an account with every social media platform
Each platform comes with its own audience. Understanding the demographics of each channel will guarantee you are attracting the right people. Also, think about what platform is the best fit for your business. For example, LinkedIn is used for more professional posting, mostly focused on business-to-business content, whereas Instagram and Facebook work best for business-to-consumer communication. Establishing the platform that works best for you will make sure you are effectively reaching your target audience.
3. Lack of consistency
Consistency plays a big part in the effectiveness of your social media campaigns.! To increase social media followers and increase your reach you need to make sure you are posting consistently. You want to show your audience that you are actively present on social channels. Being consistent does not mean overposting. Find the sweet spot of when your audience is most likely to be online and engaged and serve them content during those times.
4. Over marketing
Businesses recognize that social media is the best platform to interact with their audience, so brands should focus on posting more informative content rather than focusing on promotional posting. You need to make sure your posts are creating conversations so your brand does not miss out on the business-to-consumer communication channel. Keeping posts informative means sharing links to articles your audience might find useful and interact with through a click, share, like, or comment. Follow other pages in the industry and repost their content to draw in larger audiences. Unless you are trying to promote new features and products, keep your posts informative.
5. Lack of engagement
Some brands choose not to engage with their customers on social media, however, it is important to implement a bit of a human touch. Your audience would like to know that they are interacting with another person rather than just have been fit into another automation. The focus here should be on replying to comments to show that the brand can connect with like-minded individuals. This is a great way to increase engagement and boost a brand’s online presence.
6. Not adding a call to action
Potential customers should know how to interact with your brand. For example, if you have posted an image on a specific product or have mentioned a specific promotion, make sure to include a link to direct the user to that specific offering. Prioritizing a frictionless experience is likely to increase conversion and page engagement. Also, make sure your business’s “About” page has all the information about your product or service that can either further educate a potential customer on what you do or give them away to find your website.
7. Avoiding the use of promotional tools
Each social media platform has its own marketing tools to help brands increase their return on investment by placing their products or services in front of their target audience. By approaching each post with clear objectives, companies will make sure to always put their customers first, fulfilling their expectations. Promotional tools are also a great way to increase your reach as it helps reach a larger audience that you might not have been able to reach on your own.
8. Avoiding and deleting negative comments
Contrary to what people might think, negative comments can be a good opportunity for businesses to grow. When customers leave negative feedback the key is to acknowledge the issue and work hard to resolve it. Divert the conversation into a more private communication platform to deal with it efficiently. Showing your audience that you are willing to listen to their concerns will also contribute to increasing trust within your community and brand credibility.
9. Fail to track and analyze results
The promotional platforms give brands the opportunity to monitor the real-time progress of campaigns. Knowing this can help you make the appropriate changes to best maximize engagement with your audience. Every goal should be measurable in order to easily monitor and understand the changes that need to be made for future campaigns. The only way to understand your audience is through testing. Test and tweak until you get it right!
Social media is a great way to connect with your target audience and increase your online presence. It is important that businesses don’t ignore the efforts that go into creating a successful social media strategy. Not having attainable goals and a clear-cut plan will make results extremely difficult to measure, making your efforts completely redundant. Now that you know what to stay away from you are all set up for success! Double down on what works and scale your results for higher engagement.
Social Media King
Want to dominate the social media industry, check out our blogs to learn all you need to know about the different types of social media marketing, social media marketing reporting, and much more.
