Social media has become a major part of how people purchase products and services. When we are looking for a roofer, considering a piece of software, or looking for a new restaurant, we ask for recommendations. Sometimes that is in person but most of the time it is happening in our social media communities. Businesses can’t afford to ignore this. It isn’t going away. In fact, the last couple of years has accelerated this trend.
But here is the problem: most businesses do a terrible job of their social media strategy. Here are the top 10 mistakes we see businesses making every single day. Knowing these mistakes will help you avoid doing the same thing.
Mistake #1 – No strategy
This might seem obvious but so many businesses have no strategy that is guiding their social media engagement. Instead, they just post random crap. It is a box they must check off the to-do list. As long as something is posted it is done.
Mistake #2 – Irrelevant posts
You must be clear on the purpose of your social media. Generally speaking, the purpose should be to create an image (brand), grow awareness around your products and services, and promote your company culture. If you are posting something that isn’t consistent with these purposes it is going to seem out of place. This will create cognitive dissonance with your audience and they will learn to tune you out.
Mistake #3 – Posts that don’t look organic
This is such a huge mistake almost every company makes. Scroll through your social media feed. Do the posts from your family and friends look like your corporate posts? More than likely not. Here is the problem. People aren’t there to see your highly designed graphics. So when it shows up in the feed they just keep on scrolling. Our brains are very good at filtering out what doesn’t belong. You need to look like you belong there.
Mistake #4 – Always selling
If your posts are all about selling your products and services then you aren’t providing any value to your social media audience. In fact, they are probably annoyed by you. Brands that find ways of providing value are the ones who grow brands people trust. And people buy from brands they know, like, and trust.
Mistake #5 – Corporate tone of voice
Remember you are communicating with people. I’ll never understand the corporate tone of voice. Nobody talks like that. It is annoying. Don’t do it. It doesn’t matter if you are a B2B business. Social media is human to human. Your corporate social media account still needs to appear like there is a human on the other end.
Mistake #6 – Always talking about yourself
Do you know that annoying person at a party that is always talking about themself? You know, the one who always has a story better than yours? Well, that’s what your social media is like if you are always talking about yourself. Do an audit of your social media posts and count the number of times you say “we” compared to the number of times you say “you”. When you start talking about your customers – their needs, wants, and desires – as it relates to your brand, they start listening.
Mistake #7 – Not telling stories
Every post should tell a story. Let that one sink in. Stories are how we connect to the human brain. It is what gets someone interested and engaged. If there isn’t a story in the post then there isn’t a reason to post it. Now I can hear the arguments already. You are thinking, “But how do we tell a story about this or that? It’s not possible.” It is possible. More than that, it is necessary. Look, you don’t have to tell a story but then don’t get frustrated when you don’t see any results from your social media.
Mistake #8 – Bad photography or stock photos
Yes, your phone has a good camera but it doesn’t mean you are good at taking photos. And please, please, please, stop posting stock photos. Stock photography is so obvious and there is nothing worse than seeing the same picture you posted on 37 other posts. Hiring a photographer for a day to get you a library of photos that you can use for the next 3-6 months is a really good investment.
Mistake #9 – Using a “Social Media Calendar”
There are a ton of pre-made social media calendars online. You can find free ones or you can buy one for $47 from some social media guru who promises to give you 365 ready-made social media posts. The problem is they have nothing to do with your business. The other day I was looking at the social media for a water filtration company. They posted about national chocolate day, national bike to work day, national pencil day. It was all totally irrelevant and a huge waste of time. And absolutely no one liked or commented on any of the posts. Every post you make should be focused on accomplishing your purpose for social media.
Mistake #10 – Inconsistency
This is the number one mistake businesses make – they are inconsistent. If you want your social media to have an impact on your business then you must be consistent. But don’t fool yourself into thinking once a month or every other week, or even once a week is consistent. You reach only a small percentage of your potential audience with each individual post. The minimum number of times you should be posting on your social media accounts is twice a week. And you should be posting at roughly the same days and times every week. The social media algorithms like consistency and they will reward you with a greater reach if you are showing up on a consistent schedule.
How to fix these mistakes
If you are making these mistakes in your own social media strategy but are not sure how to fix them, we can help. We can train your team or do it for you. Contact us now to schedule a call where we can discuss your current situation and what it would look like if it was fixed.