Are you a social media pro or beginner? Here are five of the easiest mistakes to avoid making on social media…and to show that you’re a pro!
1. Publishing Tweets you Want Everyone to See But Start them with @Replies
The Problem – When your tweet starts with a Twitter account’s proper name, that tweet is only seen by the people who follow both you and that other account. This wasn’t always the case. In 2009, Twitter changed how your tweets are seen. This was done to encourage people to reply to more tweets without cluttering their followers’ timelines.
The Solution – You want to mention, not @Reply on Twitter. Rewrite your tweet where a word introduces the tweet (vs an account). Here’s an example:
2. Throwing Money at Followers without using Relevant Targeting
The Problem – You paid money to Twitter or Facebook for followers and aren’t seeing an increase in engagement. On top of that, all of your followers are in totally remote locations. You’re ready to jump on YouTube and make a video about how upset you are.
The Solution – Make sure you use relevant targeting when advertising on Facebook and Twitter . If you’re managing the social media for a bagel shop in Lima, OH, you shouldn’t go looking for Twitter followers in Kiev, Ukraine or even in Albany, NY. If you’re a Harley Davidson shop in Sacramento, CA, not only should your Facebook fans be relatively local, they should also be interested in motorcycles, leather jackets, and other relevant interests for bikers. The more you target your advertising, the more results and engagement you’ll see once the campaign is finished.
3. Ignoring Google+
The Problem – Your Google+ page is barren of content because you don’t believe that anyone uses Google+.
The Solution – Publish content to your G+ page, even if it’s repurposing content posted to Facebook and Twitter. Google+ isn’t a waste of your time, no matter what you read about it. If search is important to you, linking your Google+ page to your website increases your visibility in searches without paying for advertising. There’s also evidence to suggest that Google+ content helps SEO. We’re seeing engagement on some of the Google+ pages that are higher than Facebook. If you’re a local business with an address, your updates on G+ are tied to your Google Maps listing and that’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss.
4. Fans and Followers Are Your Only KPI
The Problem – Your only KPI is your number of fans and followers.
The Solution – Define the purpose of social media in your company’s marketing plan. If your only KPI are fans and followers you are missing the bigger picture. Your approach to social media should be the same approach to everything in business. Ask yourself what the purpose of your social media presence is and set realistic goals based on that purpose. If you’re representing a taco stand in Myrtle Beach, your total number of fans and followers doesn’t matter as much as how many people are using the secret word you posted on social media that gives your customers extra guacamole.
5. Forgetting the Captions
The Problem – You change your profile and cover image on Google+ and Facebook without leaving a caption.
The Solution – Create a checklist for content distribution and avatar and cover image updates. It’s easy to forget this one, especially because Facebook doesn’t remind you to do so even though it shows up in everyone who likes your pages’ News Feed. Remember that when someone comes to your profile and clicks on those images you’ll want them to see some text from you instead of a black column. It’s a small amount of effort for a potentially large impact on your community.
There you have it: Five of the easiest social media mistakes to avoid making.
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