Don’t make these social media marketing mistakes!

We all make mistakes. In fact, it’s important to make mistakes because that’s how you learn. But when it comes to social media marketing for your business, making a mistake can be costly to you, your brand and your reputation. Social media is more than posting a photo on Instagram, or announcing a sale or event on Facebook. In the business world it’s your connection to your clients and customers; It’s an amplification of your brand’s voice and reputation; It’s more than just hiring on the youngest and most capable person that you know to handle it. Social media marketing, when done right, is the most effective way to reach your targeted audience, build brand loyalty and drive sales. 

To help you ensure that you are not committing a social media marketing faux paus, read on! 

1. Begin Without a Strategy

We’re going to give it to you straight. If you are even thinking about starting your social media marketing efforts without a strategy, you are 10/10, 100 per cent, beyond any doubt going to fail. Not creating a social media strategy is like starting a business without a business plan. You need to establish your mission, goals, target audience and most importantly be fluent in your brand voice. Essentially, before you hit publish on your very first Instagram post, you need to know your “why.” Why are you posting the content that you are posting? Who is it going to reach? What is the purpose behind the caption? Does the image represent your brand? Your strategy doesn’t need to be a 500 page handbook. But it does need to be detailed enough so that if you need to hand the job over to someone else, they are able to take it on and the transition should be seamless – meaning your established audience shouldn’t know whether it’s you, your company’s accountant or your marketing manager doing the posting. 

2. Cross Post

Of all the social media faux paus, this one seems to shock people the most. We should all know this by now, but the easiest route isn’t always the best route and that’s how we see cross-posting. You have probably noticed that when you are about to post an image on Instagram, you are given the option to also post that same content to Twitter and Facebook, this is called cross-posting. While that quick swipe of your finger allows you to get the same content across your social channels, and keeping you active for your followers, it is very problematic. Cross-posting doesn’t always translate for each specific platform: For example, if you let Instagram post to your Twitter account, you’ll notice that the image won’t show up on Twitter. Instead, Twitter only displays the link to your image on Instagram, forcing your followers to have to click the link and be redirected to Instagram – can you say annoying? Rather than cross-posting, take that extra minute or two to tailor each post for it’s given social platform. You’ll see higher click-rates, and engagement from your audience. 

3. Hashtag Every Single Word

#Hashtags #are #very #important, #but #they #only #work #when #used #correctly. Hashtags make your business discoverable. That said, having too many of them can negatively affect your brand image, look spammy, and not assist you in reaching your target audience. Be sure to stay focused on quality over quantity and only include those hashtags that are relevant to the content you are publishing. The best way to figure out which hashtags to use is to make a short list of 10-15 hashtags that fit your business or service, and reach your target audience. For example, Boutique Collective’s list includes #DigitalMarketing #YEGMarketing, #Yeggers, and #GraphicDesign to name a few. Then, when you go to post a piece of content, only include up to three of those hashtags into your caption. You can also include up to 30 more in the comment section. Want to see how it’s done? Check out our Instagram @boutiquecreates! 

4. Get Too Personal

Whether you’re a small business, or a large company, time and time again we see many organizations getting a little too personal on their company’s social media accounts. It’s understandable that 95% of the time your company is a reflection of you and your values, therefore you will want to add a bit of your personal flair and character to your company’s voice on social media. That is totally fine! But there are limitations to what is acceptable to share. It’s best to remember that all content shared to your business accounts should align with the businesses mission and values. So, even though you may not agree with what that politician said yesterday, or the negative experience you just had in the Starbucks drive-thru, it’s irrelevant to your audience and will harm your business if you post about it. These kinds of posts usually shift the focus away from your product and that’s exactly what you don’t want to do!

5. Only Post Promotional Content

You started a social media account for your business, so the only content you should be posting is promotions of your goods and services, right? Wrong. Your social media accounts are a reflection of every aspect of your business-not just products or services you provide. Your audience on social media is looking for that relatable aspect of your business. What drives you to do what you do every day? Why do you create the products or offer the services that you do? What answers do you provide? If you want to connect with your target audience and drive sales, the best way is to provide useful, and informative updates that keep them engaged and intrigued. Additionally, it’s important to remember that due to algorithms, your audience is only seeing content that is relevant to them. This could mean less exposure for your posts if you are not sending out engaging content. 

At Boutique Collective we specialize in making a statement for your brand. If you have a small-to-medium sized business, and would like us to work with you on your social media marketing get in touch with us today!