Top 10 Mistakes Made in Social Media Marketing

When you’re spending a lot of time trying to get the word out there about your business, you want to be sure you’re doing it right. Wasting time, putting out the wrong content, or reaching the wrong people are all valid concerns. To help set you up for success, we’re sharing the top ten mistakes businesses make in social media marketing.

1. Sales, sales, sales. Your potential clients will quickly get turned off if they feel they are being sold to at every turn. Build relationships with your audience, make them laugh, make them think, make them feel. As they get to know you and like you, they will also trust you to deliver a quality product or service (a.k.a. the know/like/trust factor).

2. Using Google images. Not only do you not have permission to use random images from Google – which could land you in some deep weeds – the quality can be inconsistent. It could hurt the image you’re trying to portray in your social media marketing. Instead, check out several legit royalty-free stock image sites such as Pixabay, Pexels, or Unsplash. Even better, take some time with a good phone camera and snap your own original pics of products or services you offer, your team, and a peek behind the scenes.

3. Posting only links or shares. Facebook rewards new, original content with fewer external links. If you’re only sharing others’ content, your audience will soon feel bored and hit that ‘unfollow’ button. Keep your content fresh, relevant, and engaging, and you should be golden!

4. Not responding to comments or messages. Even on social media – especially on social media – people are looking for connection and authentic relationships with brands and business owners. When you consistently respond to your page’s comments or DMs, you send a message that they are important, worth listening to, and worthy of your time. Put yourself in their shoes, remember the golden rule, and treat them the way you’d expect to be treated!

5. Being careless with contests. When you don’t play by Facebook’s rules and run a contest illegally, you run the risk of getting your account shut down. Make sure you’re familiar with the rules of the platform you’re using. For example, many people don’t realize that “share on your Timeline to enter” or “share on your friend's Timeline to get additional entries”, and "tag your friends in this post to enter" are not permitted. Read the complete rules here.

6. Not enough video or live video. Facebook and Instagram algorithms looove video and reward you for putting yourself out there! If you’re not already posting video on social media, you need to stop reading this and create one, stat! Live video, however, receives 6x more engagement than regular video so the algorithm is extra happy (source). While live video can be intimidating, it is the most bang for your buck, timewise, and the bonus is people really connect to the real, raw, unfiltered you! We love anything that boosts that know/like/trust factor!

7. Not paying for ads. Organic can only get you so far. Well-designed ads with a targeted audience and a clear call to action will be worth every penny you invest. The key is to be intentional and not just throw money at boosting random posts.

8. Not sharing yourself and your story. Let’s be honest; there are a lot of options for your potential client to choose from. So why you? If you allow glimpses into the “who” behind the business, why you do what you do, how you like your coffee (no, honestly!), your audience begins to feel like they know and like you. They will be more likely to continue engagement with your feed and eventually – when they’re ready to purchase – your name will be on their mind.

9. Posting too often about your business on your personal timeline. Occasionally, when your post may be relevant to your friends, it’s not a bad idea to share it onto your personal timeline. But don’t make a habit of doing this too often. Your friends are your friends because they love you. The followers on your business page are there because they’re interested in what you’re offering.

10. Not using social media! In 2021, everyone is on social media. There are more than 3 billion people around the world using social networks. (source) Utilizing social media for marketing your business is relatively easy, inexpensive and very effective. Start simple, start small… but start!