Did you know that 70% of U.S. citizens have social media accounts? Social media use has rapidly increased in recent years, and advertisers are using it to their advantage. Social media is proven to have a broad reach and lots of flexibility for your marketing plans. Even so, some inexperienced marketers don't consistently execute social media strategies correctly. If something's not working, you may be making one (or more!) of these social media marketing mistakes.
Mistake #1: Your Social Media Strategy Isn't Planned in Advance
A social media marketing campaign by itself doesn't guarantee success. In order for it to yield a good ROI, you need to create objectives and then proceed with good strategies. This can easily be done with a 30-day social media plan or similar content calendar.
In the initial planning stages, you should establish your goals and which metrics you'll use to define those goals. Plan for some of the challenges you might face, either from the marketing climate or rival businesses. Listen to your audience: what do they want to see the most from your social media ads? With solid groundwork in place, you can begin creating content that helps cement your brand's voice and drives traffic.
Mistake #2: You Haven't Defined Your Target Audience
If you don't know your audience, you only have a vague idea (or none at all!) about which marketing tactics will land. Case in point, you can waste a lot of money by only reserving your ads for the most popular social media platforms. If the majority of your target audience enjoys Facebook, it makes no sense to prioritize Instagram or Twitter ads.
You also need to determine when your audience is most active on their preferred platform. If you've already got a decent following, try tracking your audience's interactions in your activity feed. The times where you're getting the most impressions are when you should be posting.
Once you know where your audience is, you can plan meaningful content that will get the most engagement. Many social media platforms allow you to explore your followers' 'likes' and favorited pages. You can get a general idea of the content that hits home with your audience using that information.
Mistake #3: Your Online Presence Needs a Human Touch
From a marketer's standpoint, automation is very convenient. On the other hand, customers will be more engaged if they know that there is a group of human beings behind your social pages. You should still interact with your followers by starting conversations and enthusiastically responding to their replies.
Social media is also one of the best places to generate brand trust through swift customer service. When a brand addresses a complaint on social media, its customer advocacy can increase up to 25%. This can be challenging, as 40% of consumers want their questions answered within an hour of reaching out. Still, establishing one-on-one communication as soon as possible encourages lifelong customer loyalty.
Mistake #4: You Aren't Tracking Your Metrics
As with any campaign, social media metrics need to be continuously tracked. That's why it's so important to establish your parameters for success and budget allocations before you invest in social.
For example, you may plan to have 70% video content and 30% still image posts in your strategy. If the image posts immediately get more attention, you already know exactly how your tactics should be refocused.
Mistake #5: You Don't Tailor Marketing to Each Platform
If your audience uses multiple social media platforms, this gives you even more opportunities to advertise. Still, keep in mind that each one has its own capabilities and serves different purposes for each business.
If your content mainly consists of text posts, Facebook's generous character limits would be more ideal. When you want your image posts to get the most traction, Instagram is almost always a safe bet. Brands that are trying to market business products and recruitment services will have an easier time advertising on LinkedIn.
Mistake #6: You Push Too Much Promotional Content
Over 25% of social media users say that the ads on any given platform are intrusive and distracting. When a company tries to sell itself too excessively, audience members will quickly grow irritated and disinterested. Good products and advertising content both attract customers, but people also want to learn about your values and overall brand image.
Still, some promotion is necessary. One of the best ways to attract customers without heavily promoting your products is using soft-sell advertising. This is when you make relatable, engaging content without a blatantly obvious CTA. It gets your audience interested in your brand without the pressure that turns off some customers.
Social Media Plans Don't Have to Be Difficult
Some of these common social media mistakes are easily made by businesses, so what's the best way to prevent them? If you need an expert's insight, a marketing partner company is an invaluable ally.
A team of professionals helps you plan the most successful social media marketing campaigns, improving as needed. Media partners also assist you with metric tracking and platform tailoring. With all that help, you'll have more time to make meaningful relationships with your customers and run your business!
