There’s no escaping the power of social media. Today, almost every business has a Facebook or Instagram profile, whether they’re a small startup or a multinational brand. What’s more, Hootsuite and We Are Social’s report states that 3.8 billion people in the world have at least one social media account, equivalent to almost 60 percent of the population.
These numbers show why brands utilize social media, especially for marketing purposes. Even professional marketers treat social media as an essential part of their search engine optimization (SEO) strategies.
But if you’ve been using social media to market your brand for a while, you may have developed habits when it comes to your strategies. Whether these have something to do with the type of posts you share or how you interact with your audience, once you get into the routine, it can be challenging to break. Unfortunately, some of these habits might not be doing your business any favors.
If you want to be known as a brand that has a positive impact on your community online, make sure you’re not falling prey to the following social media marketing bad habits:
1. Jumping on any bandwagon
One of the best and easiest ways to create social media posts is by newsjacking. It refers to marketers’ practice of riding on the coattails of a current hot topic to promote their own content. While it’s easy to do this, you shouldn’t newsjack every trending topic. Only choose ones closely related to your brand and something that your audience would want to see.
2. Not engaging with your audience
Another bad habit is sharing posts on your brand’s social media accounts and leaving them as is. Remember that your followers are or have the potential to be your clients. If they’ve taken the time to follow and engage with your posts, encourage interaction by engaging back.
3. Ignoring, deleting, or not reacting to negative feedback
Whether you’re marketing a small brand or a huge one, you’re bound to receive negative feedback. While it’s hard to read about how your products or services are not good, ignoring, deleting, or responding negatively about these comments isn’t the way to go. Doing these can decrease the trustworthiness of your brand. Instead, express your regret for their bad experience and ask if you could figure out a solution together.
4. Treating your brand pages as your own
There have been one too many times when social media managers used their brand’s page to share personal opinions or beliefs. After all, their followers are people just like them, right? Unfortunately, this doesn’t work when it comes to social media marketing. You and the brand you’re marketing may not share the same “voice,” so if you post something that’s not in keeping with the brand, your audience might not react well. What’s more, you can ruin the consistency of the brand’s messaging, so stick with a well-planned social media content plan instead.
You may have gotten away with these bad habits in the past, but every day, your audience is becoming savvier about the brands they remain loyal to. Approach social media marketing in a more sophisticated manner, and your audience will continue to love your brand.
