Common Social Media Mistakes

Social media has now become a powerful and necessary tool for companies to utilize. It allows for the opportunity to interact with others, build personal relationships and advertise services. It provides a straightforward and interactive way to build a brand, and if used correctly, can supply satisfactory results. However, it is possible for social media to do more damage than good. If you plan on opening an account, be prepared to maintain it on a daily or weekly basis and know exactly why you chose to create one in the first place.

Below are six common social media mistakes you should avoid:

1. Not Engaging with Your Followers

This is one of the most important aspects of social media. It is crucial that companies engage with their audiences on their social media platforms. This engagement not only creates a stronger, more personal bond with the customer, but it also benefits the longevity and recognition of one's social media presence. Be sure to answer comments on a daily basis, and do so as quickly as possible. Listen to what your followers have to say, and embrace their feedback and thoughts. Connecting with your audience on social media platforms will be one of the most beneficial things you can do for the success of your company.

2. Posting too much/too little

On social media, it is important to find a good balance. If you are posting excessively, your viewership is going to become irritated by the bombardment of content. If you post too little, your viewership will lose interest. One tip to maintain an active social media presence is to use tools such as HootSuite, where you can include all of your social media networks on one screen and program timed-posts to go out on a regular schedule.

3. Using Social Media Strictly to Advertise

Nobody wants to scroll through their newsfeed to see an advertisement coming from your company's account every single day. While using social media to advertise products has proven to be helpful, it doesn't mean that you should use an account to solely sell your brand. Make sure to incorporate product news, to build conversations, to share stories, to make the reader interested and from time to time, to promote products or services.

4. Not Incorporating Graphics or Videos

Visuals are imperative these days. It seems that no one has the time to sit down and read lengthy articles, so by sharing visuals and videos in your customers’ newsfeeds, viewers will be more likely to engage in a conversation or remember your company better. Everyone loves a good picture!

5. Only responding to positive comments

Joining social media is going to inevitably bring both positive and negative comments. There will be times that people are unhappy with something you’ve said, how a situation was handled or the product you are promoting. This gives you the chance to deal with the problem in front of a large audience and do your best to change the way the customer feels. It is important to try and use the negative feedback to your advantage, and take control of the situation.

6. Not Having a Social Media Strategy

If you plan on reaping all of the benefits social media has to offer, you need to have an entrance strategy. Everyone's reasoning behind joining social media is going to be different, so start with asking yourself why you're joining, and then go from there. Define your target audience. If you are selling to a younger generation, then Instagram or Twitter should be your go-to. You need to follow your viewers, and then engage with them.

It is important to always remember that social media is not measured by your followers, but by how much they are networking, sharing and liking your content.

This post was contributed by Laura Puig, Laura@Pharrpr.com

Common Social Media Mistakes