The growth of social media users is rapidly increasing, with a current count of over 2.5 billion active users, and this number is predicted to increase in the future. As these users invest a significant amount of time on different social media platforms, it compels businesses of all sizes to allocate substantial funds towards social media marketing campaigns.
Top social media marketing mistakes to avoid in 2023
1. Ignoring data
Analyzing data is vital to the success of any business in the present day. Without proper planning and analysis, it is impossible to determine effective strategies and courses of action.
Fortunately, obtaining data is no longer as challenging as it was in previous times. Presently, acquiring necessary information can be achieved in mere minutes by locating suitable tools through searching. Researchers have conducted numerous studies, and there are various tools offering real-time performance data at your disposal.
An instance is the provision of “Insights” by Facebook for pages which shows different statistics indicating the performance of posts on a particular page. Additionally, there are numerous tools from third-party sources that can be utilized to measure the success of your social media marketing campaign.
Before devising a campaign strategy, marketers should thoroughly examine their social performance using Buffer and BuzzSumo, both of which are superb tools for tracking social media activity.
2. Being careless with your stories
Keep in mind that the content you post on your social media profiles reflects the reputation of your brand.
It is important to ensure that you create a positive impression and establish a connection with your audience when sharing your story on various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and others. You wouldn’t want to leave your audience with a negative impression. Therefore, prior to sharing your stories, you should consider asking yourself some crucial questions.
- Is my story interesting?
- Does my story provide value to your followers?
- Are my posts only asking people to purchase your products and services?
Your followers anticipate valuable content when they choose to follow your page or channel. Avoid solely advertising your products and brand. Rather, share intriguing content and interact with your followers to build a connection.
One way to engage your audience is by posting a blog article on a topic relevant to your niche and including a creative call-to-action link on your Facebook page. Sharing captivating “behind the scenes” insights can also help to establish a more personal connection with your customers.
3. Going off topic
As previously stated, when discussing topics related to your product, it is important to choose engaging themes that are indirectly connected to your brand. However, it’s crucial not to deviate from the main subject at hand.
It is advisable to make sure that your social media posts are fascinating and informative for your followers while also keeping them in line with your niche. For instance, if your company deals in financial products, your followers won’t appreciate posts about your adorable pets or a delightful recipe you came across.
4. Posting content that does not spark engagement
Social media marketing aims to transform your followers into customers, if they are not already. The greater the number of customers you have, the greater your earnings. As a result, the wider your social media outreach, the higher the potential for your social media marketing strategy.
In case you upload uninteresting material on your social media accounts, your followers will be uninterested, less engaged, and might unfollow you. On the other hand, if you share captivating content, your followers will more likely engage with it and even promote it to their own audience.
In order to encourage engagement, make sure to share interesting content and add a persuasive request. For instance, if you would like your followers to share a post, simply request for them to do so. Similarly, if you want them to follow a hyperlink, make it clear by saying “click here.”
5. Being impersonal
One of the errors frequently made by businesses during the setup of their social media accounts is relying on auto responders to quickly address their followers or potential clients. Clients desire to have a personal connection with someone who values their queries, interests, and enterprise.
Connecting with customers on an individual level is crucial. For small business owners, it’s possible to address customer inquiries directly. For those managing larger enterprises, acquiring a quality chatbot capable of offering professional yet customized responses to customer questions could be worthwhile.
6. Not being transparent
When you are transparent, you are able to gain the confidence of your followers. A study suggests that companies that practice transparency with their customers tend to have a stronger base of loyal customers.
By revealing your business details on your social media platform, you run the risk of it being used against you. Consequently, being open may come with consequences. However, if you make a commitment to address any queries or comments from your audience, you can steer the interaction in a favorable direction.
7. Outdated content
To gain the loyalty of millennials and other consumers, it’s necessary to demonstrate your value since they are not only America’s biggest generation but also the most devoted to brands.
By continuously sharing posts that involve your followers, you can maintain their satisfaction with your social media platform. Sharing pertinent articles on your company blog is also beneficial, even if they aren’t the most recent, as long as they remain important and have lasting relevance. It is best to avoid posting about outdated information, such as the 2008 tax code.
8. Avoiding negative feedback
Regardless of your efforts, there will always be individuals who give unfavorable feedback. While various companies opt to overlook these remarks, it’s not recommended for you to do so. Instead, acknowledge the criticism and provide a thoughtful response. Should you receive negative feedback on your posts, express gratitude towards the individual who provided the feedback for mentioning the specific issue they are experiencing, and handle the situation in a professional manner.
Nike, JetBlue and Starbucks are among the numerous companies that excel in customer service via social media. Moreover, addressing unfavorable comments offers an occasion to display transparency towards your audience and clientele.
9. Collecting followers for the sake of having followers
Many companies prioritize quantity of followers rather than quality. However, the engagement rate is what’s important, not the actual number of followers.
In order to draw in better quality followers, brands ought to make use of the range of tools that social media offers, such as Facebook Insights. They should customize their posts to enhance engagement. Buffer is a social media tool that can be helpful when it comes to publishing content on the appropriate channels at optimum times.
10. Acting like a robot
According to a study by HootSuite, individuals who follow companies on social media and post inquiries expect to receive a reply. To address your clients’ concerns through your social media profiles, it is necessary to establish a genuine connection.
It is unnecessary to mimic spambots on social media platforms as they are already abundant. Adopting an unnatural and robotic approach to interactions on social media can quickly estrange your followers. If you behave like an authentic person with feelings, you may be able to capture the affection of your followers.
11. Not having a social media marketing strategy
Even though establishing a social media marketing strategy appears to be a straightforward task, several businesses do not execute it effectively. They make the mistake of merely publishing content on social media platforms without any comprehensive social media marketing plan. It would be best if you treated social media optimization as importantly as you do other marketing initiatives.
Develop a set of precise goals that you aim to reach, accompanied by a budget and a straightforward plan of action. The plan should effectively communicate your intended outcomes, the methods you will use to assess your progress, and the level of resources required.
The Old Spice marketing campaign of 2010, known for its transformation of the company into a hip brand, is considered one of the most applauded online marketing strategies ever. Featuring Isaiah Mustafa, an NFL player, the campaign’s video advertisement, The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, became a standout element of it.
The NFL player went on screen without a shirt, addressing women who might be watching the Super Bowl. He requested that they purchase Old Spice, so that their partners could achieve a traditionally masculine scent. The clip subsequently gained widespread popularity.
One of the reasons for the brand’s success was its shift from old tactics to a new strategy that attracted a previously untapped audience. This change helped them gain recognition among individuals who previously had no interest in their product.
12. Failing to engage in conversations
Creating several updates on your social media platforms is insignificant if there is no participation from your audience. Therefore, it is essential to dedicate ample time to presenting pertinent content that sparks dialogue and sustains engagement.
If your social media posts are not getting any response, it’s worth considering rethinking your social media marketing strategy. When your audience does start to engage with your content, make sure to respond in kind. Communication should be a two-way street, so make sure to also address any negative comments. Always keep a level head, be polite, and maintain a friendly demeanor.
It’s crucial to note that although it’s beneficial to motivate your audience to interact with your brand through social media dialogue, you have to guarantee that these discussions contribute to positive engagement. Negative discussions regarding your brand will solely undermine its image.
The Starbucks “Race Together” campaign tried to prompt discussions about racial issues, but it backfired and generated a negative perception of the company due to poor implementation.
Starbucks’ efforts to initiate a discussion on a controversial topic were met with criticism and mockery due to the divisive and sensitive nature of the topic at hand, as evidenced by the failed engagement with their followers.
13. Not acknowledging mentions
Truthfully, stories are effective in helping you expand your reach and using ‘stories/reels’ is highly recommended. However, a major mistake on social media is failing to reply to mentions. Instagram’s story mention reply feature can also be utilized in the following ways:
- Host giveaways
- Escalate things to customer support, if there’s a feature issue reported
- Quickly follow up with a personalized message
- Send customer satisfaction surveys and address issues
- To answer questions of your audience
One of the most frequent mistakes made in social media marketing campaigns is ignoring or failing to give recognition to mentions of a brand’s story.
14. Relying too much on automation
Using automation tools such as Social Growr to boost brand growth on Instagram can be immensely beneficial, but overreliance on automation may result in a loss of the human element that defines your brand’s personality, and consequently compromise its success.
In November 2014, the New England Patriots faced difficulties as a racial insult was tweeted by the team’s official Twitter handle through an automated bot.
In honor of reaching one million Twitter followers, the team invited users to retweet a post from their Twitter page. As a reward, users would receive a tweet with their Twitter handle featured on an image of the team’s jersey.
Regrettably, the New England Patriots experienced an instance where an individual capitalized on the situation, resulting in the robot posting a racial insult on Twitter.
The social media team took more than 60 minutes to notice the error and remove the tweet, which had already been retweeted by more than 2,000 people. The team offered an apology and attributed the mistake to excessive dependence on automated processes.
Overreliance on automation can have negative outcomes for your brand, including a loss of personal connection and potential for awkward situations. This is particularly true when utilizing conventional, rule-based automation tools.
Brands can make the most of micro-moments tracked by social media users by utilizing advanced automation tools which incorporate triggers for customer engagement.
