Keeping up with the idea of learning from our mistakes from yesterday (5 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Online Business), today I am going to talk about 4 social media mistakes to avoid as you promote your website. If you are l looking to up your social media game, make sure you avoid these four mistakes.
#1 Same Old, Same Old
Experts agree that about 90% of your posts should be all about the customer. Whether you’re entertaining the customer, informing the customer, or just sharing the latest news in your industry, only 10% of your posts (or less) should actually be directly promoting your company. Unfortunately, most businesses make the mistake of 100% self-promoting all of the time.
If you are only posting on social media to remind people to come make a purchase at your website or brick and mortar store, you aren’t going to get very far with your social media game and you aren’t going to engage your followers.
#2 Forgotten Graphics
Posting a picture of your most recent product might get you some likes. But, if you really up your graphic game, you’ll find your posts getting even more engagement! The secret to success on social media is offering stellar graphics that people want to look at.
Destination photo shoots, fun pictures of you and your team, behind-the-scenes looks at production and so on will all be instantly more interesting than a stock picture grabbed from your online store.
#3 Non-Sharable Content
If you want your posts to go viral on social media, you need to create content that is sharable. In fact, this is key whether or not you want to get thousands of likes on your next post. A shareable post is one with a great graphic and a description that is under 40 characters. Ideally, the graphic itself will say it all, whether it’s a fun caption or something else.
Videos are especially sharable, which is why you should be posting more of them if you aren’t already in the habit of doing so.
#4 The Silent Poster
Do you get comments on your posts and never respond back? Are you not engaging properly with your followers? Many online businesses are not, and that makes a huge difference in how people perceive your business. You wouldn’t let someone walk in and out of your store without being spoken to! When someone makes an effort to look at your post, like it, and even comment on it, you need to engage back with them.
Having someone manage your social media profiles with a bit of fun and humor will go far in shaping your brand image and encouraging people to interact with your account.
Ah, I think I’ve done all four of these “no-nos” 馃槈 at different times. Good reminders and I think #4 might bring the most positives if done properly – over time.
It is ok to make these mistakes, Lori, just make sure you correct them! (which I think you have!)
Nicely done!
Hi Paul,
Excellent post! I have been wanting to make a video but I’m so afraid I will sound silly and my hair will be strange (as people joke with me about bad hair days. LOL!) I tried to do a video campaign once in my back yard and I had to restart it several times and never completed it for a GoFundMe campaign. I abandoned the idea but put it in my business plan for this year to do once a month. So far, I have not done it. 馃檨
Thanks so much for the encouragement!
Amy
Ohh! So, Amy… when will your next (first) video be done?!?!? Sounds like you are up for the challenge with a little encouragement!
Engagement is so important. It makes everything feel more personal. This is some good advice!
Thanks, Angel. And, even introverts want to feel things to be more personal.
Good advice.
And, what many folks don’t realize is that when they “energize” their blogs to rebroadcast old posts, they need to up the social media mentions of others- because they’ve upset the balance between promote me and promote you.
That is a complete topic in itself, Roy! ANd a good one that I will be writing about in the future (thanks to your suggestion)!
Although I am not a business blogger, interacting with commenters (except the spammers, of course) should be a high priority for any blogger. And I do fall down on that too much – sometimes I run out of time after checking out the commenter’s blog. I may be in the minority, incidentally, but sometimes, when I am in a new store, I don’t mind browsing for a bit without being spoken too. But if I am interested in something, yes, I hope someone is there – and I hope that person is knowledgeable about the merchandise, too.
Great analogy with the store, Alana!
Always appreciate tips to help me with my business that’s run by one person. Sometimes I respond directly to the comments, and sometimes I go to the commenter’s page and post. Have an opinion on that?
The simple answer is…. yes!
To Both!
I like to comment/reply to those that comment on my site. After all, they took time out of their schedule to comment on my site. I think they deserve to hear back from me.
And, if I am feeling inspired, I will visit their site and see what they are up to!
Paul.
Thanks for the helpful tips once again! I have a new way to showcase one of our new products. We added super soft Minky baby blankets and we “hired” our 4 week old great grandbaby as “quality control inspector” by wrapping her in a blanket. The photo was a winner for sure!
How can you go wrong featuring the little ones? Great job, Martha!