By now we’ve all heard that social media marketing is one of the best forms of outreach to grow a small business or personal brand. Creatives, marketers and businesses alike use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and more to reach their customers — and have found much success.
But not everyone is so lucky.
Every social media platform is different, not to mention every business. How, when and what you market on one platform can drastically differ from the next. Many businesses and brands make mistakes when they first implement a social media marketing strategy due to the wide variety of options, and not knowing where to begin.
Want to get the most out of your social media marketing campaigns? Here are Careiginal’s top 3 common social media marketing mistakes and how to avoid them.
Not Having a Social Media Marketing Strategy
Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? It’s simple: if you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.
You (should) have a plan for every other part of your business, so why should how you attack your marketing be any different? Social media can help propel your business to new levels. If you go into a social media platform blind, you are doomed to fail. Sorry not sorry. This is why having a strong social media marketing strategy is critical for your approach.
A social media marketing strategy is the foundation to social media marketing. It’s your game plan. An effective social media marketing strategy includes an action plan with clearly defined goals and steps to get you to success.
What goes into a social media marketing strategy?
Priority 1 platforms (social media platforms that will be your top priority, we recommend having 2 as level 1)
Priority 2 platforms (we recommend having 1-2)
Description of the type of posts you’ll be utilizing per platform
Research on hashtags
Definition of your brand voice and tone
It’s important to note that each social media platform is unique in many ways — from their engagement, content presentation to audience. Don’t fall victim to posting the same exact content, in the same exact way, to all of your platforms. You’re going to turn dry, quick. Each platform has their different strengths, features, tools and audiences so make sure to take the time to understand each so you can use it to your advantage.
Lacking Personality or Being Overly Promotional
Posting content that only focuses on your own offering is the fastest way to turn people off. According to consumers, a recent study at Sprout Social found that the most annoying actions businesses take are:
Posting too many promotions
Not having any personality on their accounts
Trying too hard to be funny or trendy
If you are focusing too much on the sale, it’s going to force your audience to unfollow your account and do business elsewhere. The key is to jab your audience with content that positions the value your brand would bring to them and then hook them with a post that is geared towards making a sale.
Try to follow the 80/20 rule. 80 percent of your posts should be non-promotional content that shares what your offer and it’s value to your target audience. Or in other words, why the heck should they care? The remaining 20% of your posts should have strong calls to action.
At the same time, if you want your brand to come off as fun, energetic and innovative, you have to make sure your content and messaging reflect that. Have fun with your page and celebrate what makes your brand YOU!
Posting Just to Post Something
If you want your audience to be excited about your content, you need to give them something to be excited about. Boring or irrelevant content is going to be ignored, regardless of who is posting it. Don’t just add to the clutter that is already on the internet! Create tailored content for for your brand for each platform.
Remember: consumers have different expectations for the content they want to see on each platform. Instagram users love photos, LinkedIn users want to learn and Facebook users want to hear a story.
Before you post something, stop and ask yourself if it adds value to your audience. Is it shareable worthy? Does is show off your work? Would you want to click on this information? Setting up an editorial process for your posts will help with these questions. Another great avenue to look at is your analytics — what posts are doing better, and why?
We’re Rooting for You
Social media marketing is a valuable tool that can help you grow your business. At the same time, it is human nature to make mistakes. But, it’s important to learn from these mistakes and keep moving forward. There is always a way to grow from your mistakes.
We’re in your corner rooting you on. If you feel like you’ve hit a plateau or just don’t know where to start, message us for a complimentary social media analysis.