12 Days of Social Media Sins and How to Correct Them

“At least 90% of marketers want to know the most effective social tactics to engage their audiences.” (2016 Social Media Marketing Industry Report). Social media has become an integral part of business marketing and although it can be a fun part of your marketing plan, attention still needs to be paid to make sure you are on top of your social marketing game. It is possible for one tweet or post to undo all of your hard work, and send you back to where you started! These social media sins can destroy any credibility you have built up and it is vital that you avoid them before you become a social media outcast.

Hashtags are useful to gain the attention you want for your business, but be careful with them! Although they can help to identify trends and source key figures in your industry, lack of research can result in humiliation for yourself and your company.  Your online persona is precious so ensure to keep control over how your audiences view you.

‘On the twelfth day of Christmas’ … Encourage yourself to be social. Become involved in conversation with others, it is social media after all. It is a two-way connection, so endeavour to engage and build relationships with other social media users. Start conversations publicly, not in private! Mention others, ask questions and re-tweet relevant content to your brand. Always reply to engagement quickly- a ‘like’ or ‘retweet’ can seem lazy so try to respond with content where possible.

‘My true love gave to me’ … Quality, not quantity! Try not to feed your audience with empty words, make sure your content is valuable and serves a purpose. Research your target market so that your posts mean something to them, encouraging more responses. Never be false on social media, always be true to yourself.

‘Twelve drumming drummers’ … Don’t overuse hashtags. They are vital to expanding your audience, but they can also make it difficult for the reader to understand your message. Overusing hashtags encourages social media users to skim past your post. Your overuse of hashtags may reach more users but won’t always start a conversation. Hashtags must be well researched and understood before using. Not researching a hashtag prior to posting can have vital consequences. It can be a beginner’s mistake, to join in with trending topics to increase exposure of a post, so always make sure you understand the nature of the hashtag!

‘Eleven pipers piping’ … Spamming is not received well. Tagging others in sales driven posts will just be ignored. Direct messaging new followers can be seen as polite, but not when the message is a generalised or un-personal. Keep conversations personal; by all means thank new followers, but ensure your reply is custom and where possible, public.

‘Ten lords a leaping’ … Prioritise your hashtags. Two or three hashtags is plenty for Twitter, so choose wisely and use words that reflect your business, location and post.

‘Nine ladies dancing’ … Are you using the correct language for the correct platform? Ensure to use professional language on LinkedIn as the platform is used by businesses with a corporate theme, rather than social. Twitter posts are often shorter, to attract the reader, and hashtags are most common here. Facebook allows for more content and media is received easier on this platform.

‘Eight maids a milking’ … Give your brand a personality. Take regular pictures of your office and team to build a personality for your brand. Where willing, take pictures of clients and tag them to expose the work undertaken by your business.

‘Seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.’ … Be consistent and always finish your message!

Tags: blog, Christmas, social media