1. You don’t have a cohesive strategy.
Social media marketing, like all marketing, requires a plan of attack. If you’re just “winging it” you may be sabotaging your own efforts by making some of the errors below.
2. You’re using the wrong platforms.
Not all social media platforms are right for all types of businesses. For example, LinkedIn, Twitter, or YouTube won’t necessarily reach your target market.
3. You’re not considering who your target market is.
All social media marketing should be crafted to reach a specific audience. If you’re not considering who you’re trying to reach, you’re firing into the dark.
4. You’re not giving your target market the information they’re interested in.
Your social media marketing should be tailored to the audience and what they most want to know about your business or organization. For example, posting memes and photos of your animals won’t necessarily interest your followers, but photographs of your products might.
5. You’re not updating your accounts regularly.
A dead account is worse than no account at all. It says “I don’t care” to your followers – not “I’m too busy,” which is probably the real reason you’re not updating regularly. If you don’t post, there’s no reason for anyone to follow your accounts, and what posts you do make are less likely to be seen.
6. You’re not optimizing your posts for the platform’s “rules.”
Each platform has its own tricks and tips for reaching the greatest audience. If you don’t know what those rules are, you can post all day, and those posts still won’t reach your audience.
7. You’re not following the etiquette for the platform you’re using.
Each platform has rules of engagement. If you don’t know the lingo of Twitter, for example, your posts might even offend or irritate some users.
8. You don’t have a website.
Your followers look to your website for concrete information about your business. Your social media marketing should complement your website, not the other way around. Additionally, the links between a website and social media accounts make both more visible.
9. You aren’t reaching out to your personal network for support.
To grow your professional accounts, you need to be willing to ask your friends and family to like, share, and comment on your posts. Having a base following will help your posts get seen by more people, and eventually you’ll see your professional following grow. Make connections and don’t be afraid to call on them.
10. You don’t have an editorial calendar.
Plot out what you’re going to post and when you’re going to post it. Having a plan will take some of the guess work out of posting, and help you with time management.
Bonus: You’re not using a spelling checker or checking for grammatical errors.
Spelling and grammar errors may not be apparent to you, but they will be to many of your followers. You undermine your own expertise when you neglect professional writing standards. Your followers will focus on the errors and not what you’re trying to communicate.
