Even though social media has been a major part of lives for fifteen years (MySpace was founded in 2003), many businesses continue to make the same marketing mistakes year after year. Today, we’ll look at ten of the most common social media marketing mistakes that people make – and how you can turn those mistakes into assets.  

If you’re guilty of these mistakes, don’t feel bad – we’ve all done them. Instead, see this as a learning experience and a way to improve your social media marketing.  

1. No Personality

Avoiding personality or brand voice might seem like the safe thing to do but being too bland on social media is a great way to lose your following. There are thousands of brands all begging for followers. Why should people follow you? A part of that answer needs to be around your unique brand voice.  

If you are worried that your social media accounts are suffering from a lack of personality, spend some time figuring out a clearly defined voice that will appeal to your target audience. Not every account needs to be witty or fun, but don’t be a robot either! 

2. Self-Centered

Everybody wants their business to succeed, and that should drive your social media strategy. But that can’t be all you think about when posting as your business. Businesses that do nothing but post promotional material to their social media accounts just won’t gain the traction they’re looking for. 

Finding success on social media requires providing real value to your followers. And hundreds of promotional posts, updates, and tweets do not provide the value your customers are looking for. Consider blogging, sharing, and community updates to provide non-sales driven content on social media.  

3. Fake Followers

As a social media marketer, I totally understand the appeal of seeing your follower count grow. But paying for fake followers isn’t the way to accomplish that goal. But those purchased followers will never give you the interaction and engagement that you need to be successful. And, depending on the channel, you run the risk of being penalized for violating the terms of service. 

Instead, you should focus on building a following through the old-fashioned way – slow and steady. These people will be engaged with your content and interested in what you have to say. To get the ball rolling, you can take the money you would have paid for fake followers and put it toward a social media advertising campaign. 

4. Letting it Die

Maintaining a consistent social media presence is hard work. But setting up a social media account and then letting it sit inactively is not an option. If you don’t have the time to keep active, then it is time to hire a social media agency to help.  

To avoid the problem of dead social accounts, make sure you’re only taking on what you can handle. It is tempting to sign up for every channel under the sun – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Vero, etc. But that’s the quickest way to burn out. Pick one or two and build from there. 

5. Ignoring Negative Feedback

Nobody wants to get negative feedback about their business, especially in a setting as public as social media. And we’re all tempted to ignore (or delete) things that we don’t like. But ignoring negative feedback usually just makes the problem worse. Bad customer experiences need to be dealt with head-on, and that means responding to feedback and reviews that are left on social media – even if it is unpleasant. 

Instead of dreading bad feedback, see it as a way for your company to grow and improve. If you can shift your mindset in this way, then honest reactions will become valued rather than feared. And you should respond accordingly. Instead of blame-shifting or empty apologies, you can provide concrete ways that you are improving your company. 

6. No Social Interaction

This one should be obvious, is it social media after all. But for many brands, they see social media as a one-way conversation. There is lots of salesy shouting at potential customers, but no conversation and certainly no listening. Nobody likes a bad listener in real life and nobody likes a bad listener on social media.  

Make sure your team (if you have one) is prepared to be an active part of communities if you expect to thrive on social media. Take the time to develop relationships and be a contributor to the ongoing conversation if you want people to take your content seriously. 

7. Prioritizing Quantity over Quality

Last week we talked about how often you should post to your social media account. But many brands, to meet artificial frequency goals end up prioritizing quantity over quality. Regular posting is important, but your content must be quality.  

If producing quality content means cutting your posting frequency in half, go for it! Your followers will appreciate the good and they won’t miss the filler. Once you’re a well-practiced content producer, you can step up your posting to get both the quantity and the quality. 

8. No Clear Goals

What are you hoping to gain from the hard work of social media marketing? If you don’t have an immediate answer to that question, you’re probably doing it wrong. Your goals don’t have to be overly complex – it can be as simple as connecting with your local community, but you need clearly defined goals for your social media presence. 

Setting clear goals allows you to measure and track success and you build your social media campaign. If you are new to social media marketing, start with a simple goal and build from there. Over time you will get a better idea of trackable and realistic goals that benefit your brand. 

9. Treating Every Channel the Same

After you spend the time to craft the perfect Facebook post it is tempting to push that out to your Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram accounts too. But each social media channel has a unique flavor and you should craft your content around that flavor.  

That doesn’t mean you cannot reuse your ideas, just take the time to tweak them for each unique channel that you use. What makes a good tweet doesn’t make a good Instagram post – so invest the time to craft semi-unique content for each channel. 

10. Not Paying for Advertising

I know, nobody likes to hear they need to pay more money. But that’s the hard truth of social media marketing in 2018. Organic reach is in a continued freefall and reaching customers without paying is harder than ever. I’m not saying you need to spend thousands on advertising every month, but you will need an advertising budget if you want to see social media success. 

Advertising on social media is a powerful tool with advanced demographic targeting options. If you don’t want to dive into the complexities, a social media marketing agency can help you build and execute a strategy with a focus growing your business.  

Correcting Social Media Mistakes

Navigating the evolving world of social media is a difficult task – but don’t let fear stop you. None of the mistakes we covered here are fatal. They can all be corrected quickly, and your brand can be on the road to success in just a few months of hard work. That’s the beauty of the quickly-moving world of social media. 

If you feel lost in the world of social media or you just don’t have the time to properly manage your accounts, we can help! At Fusion Group USA, our experts are ready to help you grow your business through social media. Contact us today to see just what we can do for you!