Small Business Trends just released a list of 15 mistakes that many companies make in regards to social media outreach. However, we noticed 5 crucial mistakes that were omitted from the list. So here’s our comprehensive list of 20 social media mistakes your business could be making.
Only Promoting Your Company
Although it’s obvious that you are promoting your company on these social media sites, it shouldn’t be the sole reason behind every interaction. Instead, seek to build relationships with customers instead of always selling something.
Treating Social Media As a One Way Street
Seek to start a conversation rather then simply broadcasting a message.
Not Being Intentional
Have a social media strategy and find people who can execute it for you
Always Taking But Never Giving
Instead of always asking clients to “like,” “retweet,” or “share” content, try to see if you can provide a service for them.
Forgetting To Mix Up Your Message For Different Forums
Try to adjust your message for different social media outlets. Your marketing strategy for Facebook shouldn’t be a mirror image of your Twitter strategy.
Quantity over Quality
The quantity of your followers will definitely improve if you work on the quality of your content.
Erratic Posting
Consistency is key. Try to post around the same time each day.
Not Posting Enough
Post more and post often. Everyone is not on the internet 24 hours a day so a reminder post a few hours later might catch the person that missed it the first time around.
Staying Out of Online Conversations
You can’t control the conversation about your company if you don’t know what others are saying about you. Monitor online reviews with quick replies and solutions to those who are unhappy with your services.
Neglecting to Have Social Media Rules
Decided who is in charge of social media accounts and what kind of things they can post.
Not Controlling Your Images
Whether it’s a logo or a picture, you should control the images that your company portray on social media accounts.
Removing Negativity
Do not delete negative comments. This will make the matter worse. Rather, respond politely with a adequate solution to the customer’s problem.
Spamming Followers
Direct message should only be used for personal message for that particular person. Try not to send mass messages through direct message outlets.
Too Many Hashtags
Hastags are indeed a good tool to help others find your company but too many hastags can come across as trying to hard to be hard. Try to keep it to a minimum.
Too Much Content in One Tweet
Try to be more concise when tweeting. Using all 140 characters on Twitter can make it hard for others to retweet your message.
And here are 5 more crucial mistakes that we believe were omitted from the list:
Starting a Blog Just to Start a Blog
Starting a blog is not always the answer to your social media problems. If the blog is only going to be used as a dumping ground for promotions, then your time and efforts could be better spent elsewhere.
Having an Impersonal Blog
If you do have a blog, it should provide insight into the inter-workings of the company. From factory tours to employee profiles, the main goal of your blog should be to present a proper context for your products and your company.
Neglecting other social media outlets
By only using Facebook and Twitter, your company could be missing out on potential clients or customers who moved on to other forms of social media outlets. See if you can incorporate sites such as Tumblr or Pinterest into your social media efforts.
Not Rewarding Customers For Their Loyalty
Provide special discounts for those who “like” or “follow” your company on social media outlets.
Being Unoriginal
Above all, your social media content must be original.
Has your company committed some or all of the mistakes listed above? If so, contact Seafoam Media. We can show you proper ways to avoid making these mistakes so you can get the social media traffic your company deserves.