The Most Common Mistakes Businesses Make on Social Media

Image courtesy of RQ Health

It’s nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of business owners get confused when it comes to the nitty-gritty of social media.

And who wouldn’t be? Social media is still young, and there are so many platforms out there, how are you supposed to know what to do and where to do it?

Today, I am here to help you realise the most common mistakes businesses make online. There are more mistakes businesses make, of course, but these are the most common ones we see at Social 365.

Not committing to social media long term

This is a common issue a lot of businesses have.

They start their business. They analyse the avenues and places they need to go and be seen. They create their pages and post on them religiously for a month or two.

But then what happens? They forget about them, and their once new and glorious pages become dusty and bare.

Social media needs to be embraced by your business and you need to make a commitment to work on it (or at least monitor it) every day.

With the amount of people on social media growing daily, it’s no surprise that a lot of businesses want to be present online.  

But you MUST commit. There are great benefits from being on social media, from revenue generation to simply brand awareness and customer service.

You don’t want to miss out because it takes you too long or you can’t be bothered anymore. Use it for a long time, commit to the process and reap the benefits.

Talking one-way

Many businesses post on social media platforms for one reason: they think they have to.

Now, you should post on your platforms regularly, don’t get me wrong. However, the way in which businesses post when they have this mind-set writes-off any interaction with their audience.

There’s no possibility of a two-way conversation. 

With access to information and the ability to influence hundreds (if not thousands and millions) at peoples finger tips, people want to be heard and people want to be noticed.

If you are posting every day, or even every other day, but aren’t giving your audience a chance to engage with your business, then you’re wasting your time.

Don’t just talk at people, talk TO them. Engage with them. Post interesting content and ask your audience questions.

You can even interact with them directly on most platforms by simply adding the “@” symbol then typing someone’s name.

This seems like an obvious and simple thing to do, but you’d be surprised how often it’s overlooked.

Not knowing how often to ask for business

When to ask for business, and how often you should ask, is an age-old problem.

On social media however, it becomes even more of an issue.

Businesses tend to go one of two ways.

Businesses either spend a long time building up their following and their reputation, offer value and take the time to interact with their audience, but never experience this value converting to sales.

On the other hand, some businesses get followers, and straight away start asking for business and bombarding their audience with links to their services, without offering any value or interacting with them first.

You NEED to build rapport with people. You NEED to offer your audience valuable content, and valuable content that they actually want.

You wouldn’t go up to a random stranger in the street and start shouting your prices and services at them, so don’t do it on social media.

If you interact with your customers, offer them tips, help, and knowledge only you (an expert) could tell them, you’re much more likely to get sales.

It is simple reciprocity. You offer people your valuable time and information, and in time they will repay you in sales.  

Not having a clear social media direction

Having a social media strategy which is congruent to your overall brand strategy might seem like common sense.

However, you’d be surprised how many businesses do not take the time to devise a social media strategy at all and just “wing it”.

Without knowing the direction you want to take the pages, to the tone of voice you are going to use and the content you are going to share, your social media pages will fail to achieve the results you desire.

Spend the time to think about your social media goals, and think about how you are going to achieve them. If you’re unsure, get some help from a professional. Don’t be ashamed to ask for guidance. After all, billions of people have the potential to see your pages – do you really want to get it wrong?

Overloading on social media platforms 

Facebook.

Twitter.

Google +.

Instagram.

Pinterest.

Foursquare.

YouTube.

I could go on, but the list of potential platforms is quite long!

There’s a ton of social media sites which are available to businesses today, so there is no surprise people get confused.

Each platform has its own pro’s and con’s. Each platform has different uses and different functions. If you’re entering the world of social media without much knowledge, the scene can be quite overwhelming.

The common mistake made by a lot of businesses is to get on everything. No matter what their business is or what the platforms do, some businesses just get everywhere.

STOP. Think about what your business needs. Think about what the platforms do. You don’t need to be everywhere, and it makes much more sense to start with one platform and master it, than spread yourself over them all and make mistakes.

Take the time to think about what your business really needs and where you need to be seen, and from there, take each platform one at a time and master it. You’ll thank me later.

What now?

Whether your business has 1 or 1000 employees, take the time to think about your social media presence. 

Examine your results every month or quarter, and get help if you’re in doubt. You could save thousands - and you could earn even more - by avoiding these common mistakes. 


Aaron Savage - Social 365