We all make mistakes on social media. It’s just a fact.
When we launch our business, we tentatively reach for social media because everyone tells us that we need it.
What happens next? We go from dreading social media to acting a tad overzealous.
Some people get so excited when they learn about scheduling applications that they start sending automated direct messages.
They are the bane of social media.
Whether you’re just starting or have been using social media for a while, here are seven mistakes you should never make.
7 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make on Social Media
This list could be longer but let’s stick with my top seven pet peeves that people commit on social media.
- Don’t use a picture of your dog as your avatar. Look at your avatar. Is it a picture of you? If not, remove the picture of your cat or dog or your logo (if you are a consultant) and upload a picture of yourself.
- Don’t forget to update your social media banners. It’s a good idea to update them seasonally, especially if you offer seasonal discounts in your business.
- Stop sending automated direct messages on Twitter. No one likes to receive them. If you’re interesting on social media, people will check out you and your business. Sending automated direct messages on Twitter will only infuriate people (if they are like me). 😎
- Stop sharing retweets of information about your blog. Social media guru Guy Kawasaki likens this to laughing at your own jokes.
- Stop expecting to get high engagement levels on Facebook without buying advertising. The algorithm on Facebook sucks. It’s super hard now to have organic engagement. If you want to make some sales or just increase your engagement, look for an excellent facebook advertising webinar.
- Don’t talk about yourself too much on social media. Do we like the guy who only talks about himself at parties? Of course, we don’t. Find interesting posts, fun memes, and beautiful images to share.
- Don’t blindly decide which social media networks you should use. Determine who your ideal audience is and then figure out where that audience hangs out online. Don’t rush to Instagram just because it’s hot and 1 billion people are using it. Determine the demographics of your audience and then use this information to determine which social media platforms you should use.
- Bonus tip: Don’t post social media updates without including an image. Ditto for your blog posts.
6 Social Media Suggestions
Now that you know what not to do, here are some tips on what you need to do.
- Listen to what others say.
- Reply to clients’ social media posts—and those of influence in your niche —and share their content. Like and leave comments as well.
- Win hearts by being authentic, gracious, and thankful.
- Be cool. In other words, never write a nasty comment, use profanity, ridicule someone, or denigrate another author or follower. If someone wrote something nasty about you online, turn the other cheek and move on.
- Minimize self-promotion. It’s okay to your products or to share a great testimonial. However, don’t overdo this.
- Find the influencers in your genre and learn from them.
Frances Caballo is an online marketing consultant and the author of six books on social media. Click here to schedule an appointment with her. Writing a book can serve as the best possible business card you can possibly have and establish your authority in your field. Once you publish your book, learn to market it by visiting my other website, SocialMediaJustforWriters.com.