Social media is everywhere. It’s in front of us at the office. We carry it around in our pockets. So it’s more important than ever for businesses to run a social media campaign.
But with the benefits, social media can bring comes the complexities of the ever-changing algorithms and strategies. How do you keep up? If you’re not seeing the traffic growth or sales you had hoped for, it may be time to mix things up.
These seven social media mistakes will tell you why you may be losing money with your current campaign and how you can turn it around.
1. You’ve Spread Yourself Too Thin
A lot of people think that to reach as many consumers as possible, you need to be on every social media platform there is. Which is true to an extent but is usually not the most effective method out there.
Remember quality over quantity? Mmm-Hmm. This is a classic example.
You need to get specific about who your target audience is and where they would be hanging out on social media. Think of it like this: if you want to sell a high-quality business suit, you wouldn’t put it on sale at the junior clothier down the street.
The same holds true for social media. The demographic that frequents Facebook or Pinterest won’t necessarily be the same demographics that are always on Instagram and Twitter.
To get the most of your time and your money, find out where your audience is and focus on creating a quality social media campaign for those particular platforms.
Focusing on two or three social media accounts will not only save you time and money, it will enable you to engage with your audience more. And that will add up to dollar signs.
2. Your Posts Are All About You
Of course you want to share your content with your social media following. I mean, getting your products and services out in front of your customers is the point of being in business, right?
But social media is a different kind of ballgame. Folks aren’t on there to hear sales pitches or see a constant flow of advertising. The whole point is to be social and build relationships.
Your audience wants to see you being helpful and friendly, maybe even funny. Almost as if they were sitting around a table having a conversation with you. And by mixing your content with shared links from other respected, non-competitive sources in the same niche, you will ensure that they see you as a trusted resource that not only cares about business, but cares about them as well.
And your social media platform will agree. They create algorithms that rank you on how much of your own content you post versus content from others that you share. Some algorithms want you to use the 5:3:2 rule when sharing content.
Social media wants you to share the love, and so do your followers or they’ll go somewhere else.
3. You Follow to Gain a Follower
We’ve all seen it… someone follows your account so you turn around and follow theirs (you want to be nice, right?)… only to find they’ve unfollowed you shortly thereafter.
Those are follower hoarders, my friends, and that tactic is so wrong for so many reasons.
A follow for a follow is empty. Most of the time it’s not your target audience. Any social media campaign you launch will be lost on those who just aren’t interested.
So it’s a tactic that shouldn’t be used to increase your own following. You want an organic audience, one that will be interested in your campaigns. It may take longer to build up, but it’s a following that will last.
And a following that will earn you money.
4. You Post at the Wrong Times
Your target audience has a time of day that they are most active on social media. Whether you go for the early birds who are checking their feeds first thing in the morning or the night owls who love to scroll the feed after dark. Chances are there’s a “window of opportunity” that you should be shooting for.
So don’t go posting at random times throughout the day. If you’re posting outside that window, your content will get lost in the feed by the time your audience does decide to sign in.
Study your analytics, which most social media platforms provide for business accounts. Look to see when your posts get the most engagement. Find when the opportune time to post is.
Then you’ll know when your content will reach the most followers.
5. You’re Not Making Your Content Shareable
Just because you now don’t use every social media account under the sun doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make your content shareable to them all, right?
People love to share content they find interesting or particularly helpful. And the more they share, the more people will see your stuff. Word of mouth is sometimes the best form of advertising!
If their friend trusts you, then why shouldn’t they, right?
Enable all your posts to be shared on other platforms. Place those share buttons where they can easily be seen. Let them pin to Pinterest or click to tweet on Twitter.
Talk about more bang for your buck.
6. Ignoring Influencer Marketing
As we already discussed, social media is about building relationships, not direct selling. And what better way than to use a social media influencer to promote your brand!
Influencers already have a mass following and they have a strong relationship with their audience. People love to see what products they use and services they rely on, then they quickly turn around and buy the same stuff.
By using an influencer, you’re not selling to the masses, they are. But it comes across to the audience as very organic and “real”, not pitchy. That’s the kind of marketing social media will eat up.
7. Not Using Video Ads
People are tired of seeing the same old ads. They need something new and eye-catching! And what better way than to showcase your brand in a video? Not only will it be visually appealing, it will also give a “face” to the brand–something that is so important on social media.
Connecting on a more personal level with you will keep your customers coming back.
Now Your Social Media Campaign Will Pop
With just a few changes, and mixing up how you connect with your audience, you’ll see your social media following (and your profits) continue to grow.
Want to learn more about how social media campaigns can work for you? Be sure to check out our blog or contact us to find out how we can help you grow your business!