Managing your social media profiles can be a full time job (like you don’t have a million other tasks to do, right?). But unless you’re a social media guru, you might not be doing everything you need to to get the most out of them.
Look out for these common mistakes you may be making on social media.
- Not Responding to Each Message
More than likely, people are sending you public or private messages on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and/or Facebook. If you’re not responding, you give a negative impression of your brand.
Social interaction is the point of social media, so make sure you’re prompt at checking and responding to messages, particularly if they were sent publicly (like a “@” message on Twitter as opposed to a direct message), because other people can see if you don’t respond.
If you can’t answer the question, put the person in contact with someone who can. Remember: social media is also a customer service platform, whether you intend it to be or not, so treat it as such.
- Only Posting Automated Updates
We get it; you’re busy. So you rely a little too much on automated shares of your own blog content…and that’s about all you’re posting on social media. But realize you’re doing more harm than good.
Automation is a wonderful tool, but it’s only part of a well-rounded social media strategy. Even with your blog content, that’s just one time sharing it. For channels like Twitter, you’ll need to share it even more to ensure it’s seen by the widest audience possible. So in addition to that automated share, schedule several handcrafted updates. Use a quote from the article or ask a question that is answered by the article to compel people to click to read.
- Not Growing Your Audience
Maybe you put a little effort into following new people when you first created your social profiles, but haven’t done much since then. Big mistake! It doesn’t take long if you create a process, and following more people will expand your brand’s reach.
A couple of times a week, search for hashtags that are relevant to your audience. If you are an accountant for small businesses, you might search for #smallbusiness or #smallbiz. Follow people who mention that hashtag. Develop a relationship with those people by sharing their content or commenting on it.
Social media only works if you’re willing to put in the energy to succeed!
Image: StockUnlimited