It’s no secret that social media has become a major part of business and marketing. I personally believe that all businesses should have, at the very least, a Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ account. Even if you don’t run a “fun” business, social media can help get your name out there and increase your company’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
So you have your social media accounts set up and you’re ready to start posting content. That’s fantastic! But please, don’t make these four common social media mistakes.
1. Over-Sharing on Social Media
You want to tell your followers what you’re up to without overwhelming them. To explain this social media “don’t,” I’m going to use the real-life example of my Aunt Ruth. My family is all connected on social media, even my 85-year-old grandmother. However, everyone in my family has stopped subscribing to my aunt’s Facebook page. In the last 12 hours alone, Ruth has posted 21 different things on her Timeline. 21! Yes, I love my aunt, but do I want my entire News Feed bombarded with her posts? Absolutely not.
Don’t be an Aunt Ruth. Post every day, but not all day every day. Personally, I post 2-3 times on Twitter daily, 1-2 times on Facebook, and once on Google+. Over-sharing is the easiest way to get your followers to unfollow you.
2. Hashtag Overload
#Do #your #Twitter #posts #look #like #this? Stop it! One of the biggest problems with any business’s Twitter presence occurs when the social media manager doesn’t know how to utilize hashtags. For those of you who don’t understand hashtags, they are used to search/filter certain topics of interest on Twitter, Facebook, etc.
In each tweet or message, find one or two relevant keywords that you can add a hashtag to. Before adding a hashtag, think to yourself, “is this keyword something that people will search for?” I try to use some of the same hashtags consistently throughout my Tweets. That way, when you search #smallbiz, you have a much higher chance of seeing one or multiple posts from All Pro Media.
3. Irrelevant Topics
On social media, you shouldn’t just be spewing out whatever information comes to mind. A business should use social media to create a consistent brand personality. If your business sells make-up, don’t flood your Facebook account with cat videos, regardless of how cute they are. Also, if you work for a company that sells coffins, don’t try and be funny on social media. You’re not Denny’s, and it probably won’t make any sense to your followers. Determine what key aspects of your business you want to promote on social media, and stick to those values!
4. Begging for Followers
Don’t be that 14-year-old girl on Instagram who comments on everyone’s account “F4F?” (follow 4 follow?). That is absolutely not the way to go about getting new followers. Instead, follow users with similar interests or people who might be in need of your services. There’s a good chance that they’ll follow you right back. You can also invite your friends and trusted colleagues to like or follow your page in a non-obnoxious manner. Desperately asking people to follow you on social media is not a good way to make friends and influence people.
