Costing your brand embarrassment and even possible customers, common social media mistakes are ones that usually happen when posts and tweets are done quickly, without oversight, and when the use of platforms is not well-thought-out. Many times, businesses post on social media because they know that “they need to,” which can often lead to mistakes. Here are four common social media mistakes.
Not Having a Strategy and Goals: Before even creating an account or writing your first tweet, start with determining why you want to put effort into social media: Create brand awareness? Sell products? Grow your e-mail list? Draft a list of goals, be reasonable, and be sure that they are attainable.
Once you set goals, create a strategy. Determine what platforms your brand should be represented on, what times and days you will post, and what you will post. These are all largely determined by your audience. Certain social media platforms attract particular demographics. For example, TikTok tends to trend younger, so if your product or service is not typically used by teens, it might not be the right platform for you. But also knowing what days and times your audience uses the platforms is also important. If your brand resonates with working moms, then maybe a Facebook post at 8pm or weekends would be more effective.
Next, set a budget for your efforts that includes promoted posts, tweets, and pins, depending on the platform you’re using.
Ask yourself what does a successful campaign look like to you? Check results through the platform’s analytics, but also review your goals and how they are being met. If you hoped to achieve five new leads in a month, did you get them? If you wanted 10 people to convert to your email list, how is its growth? What are the conversion rates from your messaging to the desired end result? Look past vanity metrics, like reach, and dive deeper into metrics that show progress and profitability.
Spelling and Grammar: Allot a certain amount of time, either once a week or once a month, to determine the messaging and topics that you want to relay on your social media platforms. Using a content calendar, write the copy for the platform, day, and time you would like it to be posted, and include a video or image. If you can, write enough copy for a week, two weeks, or even a month. Run the copy through a common spellcheck, like Grammarly or even Microsoft Word’s own spellchecker. Next, have someone else review the copy and the photos for grammar and spelling. If you don’t have a team member, friend, or family member who can review the copy, step away from it for a few hours. Then, with fresh eyes, review each piece of copy word-by-word and line-by-line.
Not Reviewing Copy: In addition to reviewing copy for spelling and grammar, be mindful that current events, product recalls, or other unforeseen circumstances may force you to rethink posts that were written ahead of time. Writing copy weeks or even a month ahead does not mean that you can “set it and forget it.” From local events to national news, if something happens that grips the mind of the community or the country, reread and possibly rewrite your posts to ensure that they do not come off as insensitive to the current situation.
Ignoring Comments, Questions, and Reviews: Social media is just that—social. Your post or tweet is an invitation to consumers to reach out and engage with you. Whether it’s a question, comment, or a review, regardless of whether or not it’s good or bad, it should be part of your strategy to reply to all posts as quickly as possible. Think of a comment on your page the same way as a phone call in your store. You wouldn’t ignore the consumer calling on the phone, so you shouldn’t ignore them online either.
Social media use for your brand should be just as well-thought-out and planned as any other aspect of your business. Crafting a strategy and allotting time each day to your efforts can result in both fiscal growth but also the expansion of your consumer audience.
As originally published on Forbes.com. Clearbridge Branding Agency is a digital marketing agency located in Glassboro. Visit ClearBridgeMedia.com.
