Social Media Marketing Blunders You Can Easily Avoid

Social media marketing is a fantastic way to network and promote your business. But, as they say, the internet is forever. You need to step carefully, especially if your brand is small. Each of the errors discussed below can turn off your audience. More importantly, they impact the overall credibility of your brand. Although social media does need to be handled with finesse, it’s not too hard to learn the ropes. Keep reading and discover some common faux pas.

Avoid Social Media Marketing Blunders

An Incomplete Profile

Imagine you’re in an unfamiliar city and need to pick up groceries. You drive to the nearest store, but there are hardly any other cars there. The store doesn’t have signage, there’s nothing displayed out front, and you decide it might not be a grocery store at all. That’s what your business looks like to a potential customer who stumbles upon your incomplete profile: an empty storefront. Instead, take a look at your business card. (Don’t have one? Check out this free tool.) The same designs, colors, and information on your card should appear on every social profile you have.

Too Many Hashtags

You may have picked up a few bad habits for tagging posts. The most common of these is simply having far, far too many. While it’s true that hashtags improve your reach, you still need to keep a couple things in mind. First, you don’t want to annoy your current followers. Don’t #AddHashtags anywhere you can #think of. Instead, put them at the end. And if you’re adding more than a handful, then add several blank lines before the tags to spare your readers. Better yet, tag your content in the first comment of the post.

Using Low-Quality Images

It’s tempting to DIY your own pictures. But what looks great on your smartphone might not translate to a desktop without being skewed. And unless you actually run a photography business, there’s no expectation that you personally take every image that you post. Take time to look through high-quality stock photo sites. Avoid Creative Commons, which has a mixed bag of quality and licensing restrictions. Choose a site like Unsplash for pictures that always look professional.

Only Sharing Posts from Others

Some business owners are afraid to add their voice to the mix. Others simply don’t think they have time. Even so, it’s strange and suspicious to stumble upon an account with no original posts. Most social media aficionados will immediately assume it’s a bot account, block it, and move on.

Never Sharing Posts from Others

On the other hand, it’s also a bad idea to only post original content. There are some basic SEO principles involved here, but it also comes down to your authenticity. There’s no doubt that you should be an expert in your niche. But when you never link to helpful infographics, well-written posts, or news articles? Well, followers might think you live in a bubble.

Posting On a Whim

Be honest: how often do you post? Is it every hour or once a week? Do you share the same content across all social media sites? Are you careful to check for grammatical errors before posting? If you’re guilty of any of the above, you need to read this guide on social media calendars. (There’s even a free template.) Many people on social media expect regular content from their favorite brands. They also expect variety, good writing, and so on.

You don’t have to be terrified of jumping on social media. It’s okay if you’ve made some or all of the mistakes we’ve mentioned. Just make sure to keep these tips in mind the next time you log in.