“The point of social media is to be social”
– Hakimuddin Chowdhury (Founder Leotics Consulting LLP)
Before you go through this post of What not to do on Social Media for Business, it is important you know why social media is important and how to make a social media strategy. You can check out our complete series on Social Media Marketing here
Now knowing what to do on social media and how important it is for business, it is also vital, the business should know what not to do on social media.
You should know that there is no right way of doing social media, it has it’s potential and also it’s pitfalls.
A number of businesses go for hard selling on social media, not realising the main purpose of social media. Socialising is the main motive of these social platforms.
In this blog post, from our Social Media Marketing blog series, we will talk about what you should be careful of and what you should not do on social media. Some of the crucial mistakes which a brand tends to make, and should be avoided.
1. No Social Media Marketing Plan
The efforts of social media marketing are going to be a waste of time if you do not have a purpose or objective associated with it. Sharing content to attract followers, is not a social media marketing plan.
The approach is to be the same way in which you plan your marketing activities. Specific objectives, budgets and return on investment. A proper plan of action with what to achieve, how to go forward with it, performance measures and the resources required to achieve the objectives.
Social Media Marketing Tip #1
Social media marketing with well defined strategy, goals and KPIs will yield better results.
2. One Size Shoe Does Not Fit All
The social platforms are all different from one another. If you think that one piece of content will run the same on all platforms, then you are wrong. A post on Facebook and a post on LinkedIn cannot be the same because the purpose of the mediums are different.
The set of audience on each platform can differ from each other and therefore it is important to keep that in mind. Unless the content appeals to consumer it will not yield potential results. A person on Facebook behaves in a certain manner and the same person on LinkedIn has a different behaviour.
The audience on the different social media platforms are not necessarily the same and therefore one size shoe does not fit all.
Social Media Marketing Tip #2
Do not push the same message on all the mediums. Sometimes, minute changes can help making the same message suitable on other mediums.
3. Measuring The Right Numbers
It is important to understand which numbers should you follow on social media. In most of the scenarios the number of followers and engagements are the ones looked at. Only these numbers growing, do not help businesses much.
You should measure the overall impact of social media activities on your business, just the way marketing activities are measured.
Social Media Marketing Tip #3
Measure the effectiveness of social media marketing in real business terms and not just by the number of followers or engagements etc.
4. Too Much of Content / Promotion
You should have a balance on the number of communications / content shared to your audience. Too much of content or very frequent posts may at times go in the blind sight of the consumers. On the same page, if the posts are at a very long gap may cause your audience to forget about you.
There is no rule of thumb in this case. Every type pf audience reacts in a different way and therefore it is important you strike a balance on the number and frequency of posts.
Social Media Marketing Tip #4
Balance on the number of posts and time duration. See what works best for your audience. You may not want to annoy them and also not let them forget you.
5. Not Engaging in Conversations
It is important to engage in conversations with your audience. Your content should be in a way to arouse engagements. If your content fails to do so then you need to work on your content strategy.
Every comment, like, message is an opportunity for you. You should not miss it at any cost, that could be your potential next customer. Answering the audience and responding in time is the key as it leaves a positive impression on your audience.
Social Media Marketing Tip #5
Do not leave comments, messages form your audience unattended. Make sure you respond to them. Consider it as an opportunity.
6. Do not Buy Followers
A number of brands engage in ‘follower exchange programs’ and ‘increase followers programs’. These followers do not help the brands much. It would only serve the purpose of increasing the number of followers but their impact on real business terms would not be much.
Followers that get associated with you for the goodies or rewards are not really interested in your products but in the goodies and rewards.
Social Media Marketing Tip #6
Just getting followers is the not sufficient. Getting followers who connect with you and your offerings is more valuable. It’s the quality & not the quantity.
7. It's a Two Way Thing
Social media is a two way communication process. The content has to engage with the followers. It should not be that the brand just keeps on talking about itself on the social mediums. The projects, products, services etc. if it is all that you keep talking on social mediums, then it might disinterest your followers.
Using social media just to talk about yourself will not help in the long run. Getting customers to engage on the content, building relations and generating impact on real term business would help the business in long run.
Social Media Marketing Tip #7
To succeed, you need to speak the language of your audience, if you want them to hear you.
8. Too Many Accounts At A Time
It is not necessary that you have to start all the social media platforms together. As one shoe does not fit all, the content in the same form cannot run properly on the social mediums and also the audiences of these platforms may not be the same. In such a case, a brand starting on all the social media platforms at once is of not much value.
You should target those social media platforms where your audience is present. Targeting all the platforms without audience research is just going to push your costs. We suggest to start with one or two and then after mastering or stabilising it expand onto the rest.
Social Media Marketing Tip #8
Being present on all social media platforms is not necessary. It is important you start and master the strategic ones.
9. No Proof Reading of Content Before Going Live
We all know and understand that time is a resource and how valuable it is, but not proof reading the content and uploading error or wrong information is very damaging. Consumers can get misled because of it.
It spoils the reputation of the business. Social media is a very vocal zone, people tend to like and react on the content. If there is an error in the content, rest assure that either the users of the social media platform will show discomfort / outrage / spoof it or your competitor will take advantage of it.
Social Media Marketing Tip #9
Proof read all your content before going live, this would help build your brand image and save you from the embarrassment.
10. All Platforms Are Not The Same
A mistake which is committed by most of the brands, treating all platforms as the same. The problem is that all platforms are not the same. It is different form each other as every platform has a purpose and specific audience. Considering a content in the same form, to be able to run in the same way on all the platforms is barely possible.
Facebook is different from LinkedIn, so is Instagram from Pinterest and Twitter.
Social Media Marketing Tip #10
All platforms are different from each other. Build a strategy to extract the best out of each platforms, using its unique features and audience.
At Leotics Consulting LLP, we do handle social media for our clients. We hep them leverage the platforms, define your target group, choose the right platforms and create a strategy to achieve your business goals.
We make innovative solutions for our clients to help them achieve their business goals.
Our aim is to achieve more using technology and actionable insights form data. You can check out all our services by clicking here.
Get in Touch with us and we will make a customised solution for your business, as we believe every business is different.
