You’ve worked hard to develop your brand’s social media following. However, there are some things that will turn off your followers, making them disappear like a bunny in a magician’s hat. Be careful and avoid the following seven social media mistakes.
1. Too Much Self-Promotion
People are on Facebook to have a good time and catch up on what’s happening with their friends and family. So, your content needs to be fun or at least interesting. Do not post ads in your social media feed. Focus on making content that entertains, inspires, or educates. These posts get more likes, comments, and shares, increasing your organic reach.
2. Feeding the Trolls
Social media sometimes bring out the worst in people. They can say the nastiest things about your brand, product, staff or service. They have turned into TROLLS! These trolls can disrupt your page with negativity. Their influence can even spread to other customers. Getting into arguments with a troll is never a good idea. Aim to transition your communications with these customers to private messaging so you can get to the bottom of their concerns quickly and discreetly. Remember, other potential customers are online and watching all time, so you need to show them that you care about your customers.
3. Incorrect Post Frequency
Nobody wants to see 8 photos a day of your product, even if it’s the best product in the world. It’s impossible to keep up the quality of your social media content at such a high frequency. Small to medium brands should aim for 1 post per day maximum unless you have a special event. On the other side, accounts that only post once or twice a month can begin to look like ghost towns. You’ll struggle to build your community unless you post 2 or 3 times a week.
4. Poor Lighting
Better lighting creates better-looking photos and draws more engagement to your social media content. Dark or overexposed photos won’t delight your audience and certainly do not belong on your feed. You want to show your products in the best light possible. Don’t worry if you can’t afford professional lighting gear. The sun is free for a limited time only!
5. Irrelevant Content
#internationaldoughnutday might be relevant to Krispy Kreme but irrelevant to all businesses. Getting involved in an international day is an easy source of content for a post, but does your audience care? Make sure your content is relevant to your industry and your brand. Measure follower engagement, and if something doesn’t resonate, don’t do it next year. P.S. If you want to buy me doughnuts, any day is fine by me!
6. Using Stock Imagery
Stock imagery is readily available, cheap, and sometimes even accessible. But the trouble is everyone else is using stock imagery too. People begin to switch off and not pay attention to your images. The is one particularly problematic stock model; I’m talking about Ariane! She’s the overexposed stock model, and she’s EVERYWHERE! She even has a fan club on Facebook where people submit sightings. Make sure your imagery shows off the unique selling proposition of your product or service with genuine images.
7. Buying Fake Followers / Likes
Buying fake followers hurts your reputation, budget, and bottom line. They won’t believe your product and reduce your account engagement rate in the long term. Buying fake followers is strictly prohibited by all major social media sites. You could even get your account banned. Keep your focus on conversions and engagement from real customers, and reserve your budget for marketing that delivers accurate results.
So there you have it!
If you want more advice on growing your followers and sales through social media, contact the team at Search Marketing Group® today for a free initial consultation.
