7 Common Social Media Mistakes Brands Are Making 2018

09 May 7 Common Social Media Mistakes Brands Are Making 2018

There are general social media mistakes we all know to avoid (like buying followers). But there are many other less obvious social media blunders to steer clear of. I’ve composed this list of the most common slips I’ve seen in my experience as a social media marketer this year. Are you making any of the following social media mistakes?

1. No Strategy Or Plan

“Victory loves preparation” – Keep this phrase in mind when it comes to your social media marketing. Many brands make the mistake of not having a plan in place. A good social media strategy will help you stay on track with consistent posts while supporting any goals you have set. Having a plan allows you to build buzz and maximize results around campaigns, or events, keeps your audience interested, and attracts new eyes to your account. Being able to strategize and know whats coming will also allow you to capitalize on engagement more spontaneous posts and analytics.

Going willy nilly when posting may not feel like a big deal, but in the end planning will leave room for more growth and creativity.

 2. No Defined Branding (Voice/Look And Feel/Brand Story)

In the current state of social media, not having a defined brand voice is a big mistake. Again, to break to the noise and attract your “tribe” you have to have a well defined sense of who the brand is. This can break down into a few things including: defining a distinct voice for your captions, nailing a distinct look for your content (also known as creating a theme for your feeds) and learning to post content that is relevant to your brand. This also means figuring out what your brand’s “story” is and how to get that across in a way that’s meaningful to your target audience.

3. Incomplete Social Media Profiles

Failing to complete your social media biographies and other profile information is a big missed opportunity. Your profile allows you to convey what you do and who you are in the few precious moments you have to capture a visitor’s attention. Make sure as much of your biography or about sections are filled in (remember to hashtag keywords in your Twitter and Instagram bios). Don’t be afraid to have a little fun or really show your brand’s “personality” here either. Since social profiles and content now rank in search filling all info section in is important. Through my agency’s work we’ve also noticed that new features (like Instagram’s new restaurant booking button) are sometimes automatically set up for us because we’ve filled in all our info correctly. Remember to use high quality profile and header images, and that your header can also be used to promote things or get creative.

4. Not Knowing Their Audience

One of the biggest social media mistakes a brand can make is to not know their audience. This entails everything from knowing when they’re followers are active to learning what content resonates best with them to not figuring out any other interests their followers may have. With such a saturation of accounts the only way you can help your brand stand out from the noise is knowing who you are talking to and how to tailor your messages so that they are understood by your target audience.

Let’s say you go on a date and the person only speaks about themselves – quite the turn off no? Same applies to your social media audience. Social media = building relationships, and successful relationships are rarely one sided. Your audience wants to know you have more to offer than pushy sales messaging or a product. Modern social media is about adding value to your follower’s lives.

The last part or this social media mistake I want to point out is participating in social media networks that aren’t converting or your audience isn’t on. It’s good to have all bases covered – but eliminating networks that aren’t working will allow you to funnel energy into other tasks, or smaller networks that convert at a higher rate for your audience.

5. Posting Too Often/Not Enough

Believe it or not, it is possible to post way too often on your social media channels. This rule doesn’t necessarily apply to all industries (as you expect to get frequent updates from profiles that have to do with news or publications). The key here is to find a post frequency that works for your audience. I suggest posting at least three times a week to keep engagement and growth going.

6. Not Taking Advantage Of Network Tools

Not using the tools unique to each social media network is an overlooked social media mistake. Using these tools gives you an opportunity to present content in more creative ways, plus they speak to how each individual network is used. Dive into how each network operates and explore features like Twitter polls, Twitter lists, multiple image posts, Facebook Live videos, Instagram Stories, Live Stories, Instagram Stories Highlights, Instagram Polls and Stickers and whatever other tools might be at your disposal for a specific social media network. Take a look at this simple list post I created when Twitter expanded it’s character limit to 280 characters:

Some things I've learned from managing successful #Instagram accounts:

1. Consistent posting
2. They have cohesive feeds
3. There's a clear #strategy

Read the full list of things can learn from the best accounts #ontheblog -> https://t.co/zwOzAd278R pic.twitter.com/9BFbhyLsaG

— Dhariana Lozano (@DhariLo) November 8, 2017

7. Not Responding to Comments/Complaints

Getting into arguments with trolls is not a good thing, but don’t ignore legitimate complaints. Take the opportunity to show customers you care. You can swiftly “get the issue offline” by asking them to email you and take it from there.

Okay so here’s a bonus social media mistake to avoid: Being afraid to test, experiment and have a little fun. Social media and your audience is fluid and in a constant state of change. Don’t be afraid to test different methods, show your brand’s personality and have fun – social media was made for entertainment!

What are some big mistakes you’re seeing? If there’s anything in this post you’d like me to clear up drop a comment below or message me on Instagram @DhariLo

<3 DhariLo

If you need helping wading you’re way through all this, I can help! You can book a social media coaching lesson with me here or sign up to my mailing list here for fresh social media tips in your inbox each week.