Ten Mistakes small businesses make with their social media

“I use social media as an idea generator, trend mapper, and strategic compass for all of our online business ventures.” – Paul Barron

Social media is a very important aspect of a business. Do not forget almost everyone in the modern age has access to social media and rely on it for news and information. We might be using our social media accounts to share exciting moments in our lives or just to connect with a friend or loved one. I am here to tell you the real power behind social media, how it's used to influence and engage with people. A lot of freshly new businesses neglect the idea of having an effective social media presence and view it as unnecessary. Well, my friends here are a few common mistakes small businesses tend to make with their social media, and here is how you can learn from them.

Inconsistent posts

How often will you find a company’s Instagram page left unattended, finding out that their latest post was three weeks ago? This is a big mistake that we see happening too often. Being inconsistent shows a lack of strategy. Building your company means building its brand awareness and its engagement with its audience. If you choose to neglect your most valuable tool, then we have bad news for you. The best way to overcome this problem is to be more organized, we suggest having a social media schedule to prepare weeks before the actual posts, this way you can be ready for anything and test whether your posts give your company any credibility or sales.

Not being aware of your competitors

Now we understand some people view competitors as their enemies, but you need to keep in mind that they operate in the same market, which means you share the same target audience. This is where the proper use of social media can come in handy. Try evaluating your competitor's social media presence, figure out what works for them, and in return, you can use their strategies to keep a competitive edge.

Inconsistent branding

People need to realize that their company’s presence online needs to be memorable and easy to differentiate from others. This can easily be achieved by following a certain guideline you need to create before you start posting. Simple things like backgrounds or using certain colours or quotes can be very useful when uploading photos and videos. This creates a specific style that helps your brand stand out!

Source: Post Planner

Not measuring your success

Most small business owners post on their social media without noticing a change in followers or customer engagement. It is important to figure out what works best for your business by testing different methods of posting, whether it be different branding, a different caption, or your use of hashtags. Once you see a positive change in your popularity, then you know you’re heading in the right direction.

Ineffective use of hashtags

We remember talking with a client who was completely oblivious about hashtags, how to use them, and why they’re important. Firstly, hashtags are a way of connecting social media content to a specific topic, event, or brand. They make it easier for people to discover posts which they are interested in. So, here is the golden ticket to finding your target audience. Try different types of hashtags to maximize your engagement with your audience, find out the most effective hashtags as this is a great opportunity to build your brand.

Lacking innovation

If you manage to find a social media strategy that works well for you, then we congratulate you! However, make sure you don’t repeat the same style of posts over and over again, as it might start to get tedious and saturate your brand. If you notice a slight dip in your followers and engagement, then it’s time to change something up. Try creating new ways to engage with your followers. We suggest, posting testimonials, creating events, or creating a giveaway!

Not learning from your mistakes

It's easy to make mistakes, we’ve all made bad decisions before, and that’s okay, as long as you learn from them. Imagine you created a social media plan that didn’t work out the way you had hoped, do not fret. This is a great opportunity to ask around and get feedback from others to help you assess what you can do better. Feel free to also learn from your competitors by analyzing what they have changed in the way they engage their audience through social media

Posting too often

A lot of business owners are already aware that inconsistent posting is a problem, however, the same people tend to post too often, which is another problem you should avoid. Posting too fast and too soon could result in flooding your followers with your posts. This could be very tedious and annoying from the perspective of your followers, instead of feeling engaged they would feel overwhelmed and likely unfollow you. That being said, you need to find a balance and post about three times a week.

Not double-checking your work

Surprisingly enough this is a mistake that we see too often. A lot of company owners tend to rush with their edits and content, this is likely due to the lack of proper planning. Personally, when we see this sort of mistake, we feel as though the business owner has no real passion for what they do. Furthermore, this will also reduce your credibility, as people view spelling mistakes and lazy editing as illegitimacy. This will likely result in people trying to avoid your brand.

Not being patient

Growing on social media is hard work, and will not happen overnight. You need to be consistent and have long term plans if you are willing to improve your social media presence. It is always very important to not get discouraged and keep trying.

Source: Forbes

So now we believe you are well equipped and more knowledgeable about social media in the business world. We wish you good luck and don’t forget to always learn and adapt from your mistakes.