Whether you like it or loathe it, social media is an invaluable tool for any business. The power of social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok, allows you to connect with your audience, expand your reach, and most importantly of all, increase sales for your brand.
How you navigate social media plays a key role in your success. Have you got a specialist team in place manning your accounts? Perhaps you’re doing everything yourself? Whatever camp you fall into, here are some common social media blunders that could be doing more harm than good for your company.
Undefined Goals
Diving into social media without clear goals is like setting sail without a map. You might move forward, but you won’t necessarily head in the right direction! Defining specific, measurable objectives from the outset makes sure your social media efforts align with your broader business ambitions. This could be spreading brand awareness, building an email list, generating leads, or enhancing customer engagement. Without goals in place, your content risks being unfocused and your resources could be wasted on strategies that don’t support your business’s needs.
Overpromotion
For new businesses in particular, we appreciate you want to spread the word and get people talking about your products or services. However, too much self-promotion can actually be off-putting. Your audience looks for value and relatability in their feeds, not constant sales pitches. Therefore, balancing promotional content with engaging, informative, or entertaining posts will help in creating a healthier relationship with your followers. Most importantly of all, you’ll develop trust with your audience, meaning they’re far more likely to stick around.
Neglecting Audience Engagement
Social media thrives on interaction. It’s not just a broadcasting platform but a community. When businesses ignore comments, questions, or messages, they miss a golden opportunity to build rapport and loyalty. Engaging with your audience isn’t as straightforward as just answering queries. Instead, you need to create an ongoing dialogue that deepens relationships and encourages active participation from followers.
Poor Content Quality
We can’t stress this one enough! Quality trumps quantity when it comes to content on social media. High-quality, well-thought-out posts resonate more effectively with audiences. This helps to boost engagement and sharing. Conversely, continuously churning out low-quality content can harm your brand’s reputation. Also, don’t be surprised if your follower count goes down! Ultimately, each piece of content must reflect your brand’s image and you need to aim to inform, entertain, or solve a problem for your audience.
Inconsistent Posting
We’ve seen countless businesses go full steam ahead on social media, posting every day, for it to… stop. An irregular posting schedule can confuse your audience and hamper your brand’s ability to build a loyal following. Consistency is key in social media, especially for staying relevant in your field. By maintaining a regular schedule, you signal reliability to your audience, which can only enhance engagement rates and keep your brand top of mind. To make things easier, you can use tools like a content calendar or scheduling software.
Navigating the complex world of social media marketing can be tricky. To avoid the blunders above, why not reach out to us today? At Volume, we’re a social media Manchester marketing agency who can handle the reigns and help get your posts noticed.