Social Media Marketing Strategy: 15 Mistakes to Avoid

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Social Media Marketing Strategy

In this blog post we will be going through common mistakes in social media marketing related to:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

Mistakes in Twitter Marketing Strategy

Twitter is my ultimate weapon of choice for social media marketing. But hey, I did too many mistakes here which you shouldn’t.

1. You have not plan any Twitter marketing strategy

Twitter marketing is all about understanding current trend. So what happens when you do not have a plan when you are marketing on Twitter?

One of the most common mistakes in Twitter is that it is a marketing tool. Twitter is NOT a marketing tool, it is an engagement tool.

Twitter moves really fast and you need to use that as an advantage to engage with your followers.

Hear someone complaining about your competitor? Maybe it’s time to steal the show.

Someone shared your content on Twitter? Go and say “hi”.

New followers on Twitter? Add them to your special list and drop them a quick intro of yourself.

2. Not using social media tools to manage Twitter

If your social media marketing strategy is solely on Twitter, skip to #3.

Here’s the problem with Twitter: An Average tweet lasts only for a few seconds in your timeline.

Most of the time, we decide to skip a few tweets (maybe a few hundreds) and just focus on a couple that attracted us.

And here’s where the real problem lies – We are turning away potential clients for every tweet we miss out.

How to solve this? Sign up for Hootsuite. It doesn’t cost you a dime and the free account lasts for a lifetime.

3. Do you share images on Twitter?

I used to share link and quotes on Twitter but not images. Did you know that images will increase your followers engagement by at least twice?

Surprising right?

Of course, not all images work. Share captivating images that will tick your followers to engage with you and your brand.

4. The anti-Twitter egg avatar image

When was the last time you received a new follower prompt on your mobile and to your surprise, the image is the all-time-famous, Twitter egg avatar?

And if this happens, it just projects that you are not serious in making a connection on Twitter. People want to connect with real people and your task (above everything) is to make them feel so.

Avoid this deadly mistake in Twitter marketing and upload an image for your profile right now!

5. Not leveraging Twitter bio

If the first thing that people notice is your profile image, the second thing would be your Twitter bio.

There are several words that you should not be using which are:

  • Guru
  • Ninja
  • Expert
  • Master

Takeaway: Consider Twitter bio as a quick 30-seconds introduction about yourself.

Mistakes in Facebook Marketing

We love Facebook, don’t we? Over 1 billion users on the platform, you can’t afford to make a mistake if you want to build your brand. Here’s a list of Facebook marketing strategy you should implement (and some which you need avoid).

1. Wrong image size

What happens when you upload a wrong image size on Facebook? The images will look bad and in most cases, off-shape to say the least.

2. Facebook hashtags as a social media marketing strategy?

Hashtags work like charm on Twitter and Instagram. But how about Facebook?

Want to use hashtag as one of your social media marketing strategy for Facebook? Here are some guidelines:

  • Keep it relevant
  • Make it obvious
  • Don’t spam or overuse
  • Define your hashtags (make it really simple)

3. Consistent voice is a must for Facebook marketing

Have you ever skip updating Facebook for a few days because you are tired or in a vacation? I know I do but this isn’t an excuse NOT to do any marketing on Facebook during that time period.

Consistency is the key for any social media marketing strategy and in Facebook, it is all about scheduling.

And as a matter of fact, this should not only be for Facebook only. Do it in every social media platforms you are engaged in.

Important takeaway: Social media scheduling is an awesome way to manage your marketing but scheduling should only be apart of your strategy. Depending too much on it will affect your overall social media marketing strategy.

4. Not interacting with followers is one of social media most deadly mistakes

Social media is not about the numbers or your authority; it is all about your engagement with your followers.

Getting more likes and followers on Facebook is just one part of the equation. The next step is to create interaction with them when they respond to you.

Even when they don’t, you got to take the initiative to start the conversation.

Social media engagement requires time and passion. Do it at least once a day and increase the ratio from time to time. When you start, the engagement rate will be extremely low but as time passes by, it will increase because you had build the bridge with your followers.

And when that happens, take the opportunity to turn the social media mistake into an extremely fruitful business partnership.

Common Marketing Mistakes on Pinterest

Infographic and visual marketers are banging their luck on Pinterest. Do you know what are the most common social media marketing mistakes on Pinterest?

1. Not using description on Pinterest

Before you pin an image, remember to use super descriptive information in the caption.

When was the last time you entered a super rich, keyword and sentence in the description when sharing an image on Pinterest?

And yes, this is one of the most common social media mistakes done on Pinterest. Pinterest is awesome and if you want to make full use of Pinterest, fill the description with a detailed sentence (approximately 50 words or less).

While images (most of the time) represents the whole story, it doesn’t hurt if you use readable description in the captions while having several keywords related to the topic.

2. Using boring and static colours

Did you noticed that images that have high contrast attract the eyes?

This is also the reason why infographic works like charm on Pinterest. So the next time you are planning to create an image for pinning, make sure you are using bright and attractive colours to attract your readers.

Mistakes Done by Social Media Marketers on Instagram

With over 1 billion die-hard fans on Instagram alone, this is definitely one social media platform you cannot leave behind. So what are the common mistakes done on Instagram?

1. Overusing and over-killing hashtags on Instagram

Hashtags helps to increase visibility and in Instagram, that makes all the difference. As a social media marketer, it is a no-brainer that you have an account but are you hashtags like crazy?

Placing 5 to 10 (while 5 is usually recommended) hashtags after a short description is usually fine but most people are overusing it.

Here’s an example:

#Love #evening #sunset. #Party #time #with #all #my #friends. #What #is #your #plan #for #the #evening?

Yes, you get the point. The above is pretty overkill and that makes reading superbly hard!

Let’s compared with this:

Preparing for a webinar on social media marketing tips. Pumped and I can’t wait! Have you register yet? #social #media #marketing #webinar

Not only the above sounds better, it looks better too! Plus, it projects a more professional outlook for yourself.

2. Not providing content users demand

Instagram is not about your product. It is about you (first) before anything else. Let’s be honest. No one gives a crap about your products if they do not know who are you!

Here’s an example of my Instagram post. Hint: Make it looks fun and enjoy the process!

Social media marketing is selling but it doesn’t mean that you need to sell on every social media platform including Instagram. Personally, I use Instagram to represent me, myself and lifestyle.

Do I promote my brand on Instagram? Yes but not always.

Important social media mistakes not to make: Social media platforms aren’t just for business. They work well for leisure and therefore, put some fun into them!

So, how about you? What was the biggest blunder you did in social media marketing?

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14 Responses

  1. Aurora Reese says:

    Thanks for your complete guideline. You just done a Amazing Work . I was also doing some mistake that you wrote and i learn the important point about Social media marketing by readi.ng your Post . I am going to follow your steps from today to do Social media Marketing for me

    Cheers

  2. Lucius Wiley says:

    You really laid it all out here. Thanks for sharing these mistakes with us. I’m afraid lately I fall under some of these categories lately and I need to get back on track.

    I love Hootsuite…it’s a real time saver. I don’t have my calendar as full as yours but one day I will :).

    I had an lol moment when you mentioned the hashtag overkill on Instagram. I’ve seen that and it’s crazy how every other word has a hashtag. :)

    I’m definitely going to take your advice here! Thanks for putting all this togehter.

  3. I think the biggest mistake for me is twofold- not 1) planning ahead what I want to share with my social media audience . I love your calendar. I produce content on a regular basis but I am still learning about to be organized enough to plan AHEAD !

    2) I don’t use my Hootsuite and Buffer enough.

    Argh. It’s all my fault and I should get on it !

    Thanks for the insightful post!

  4. Great Post! I used to use some other social media automation (automatic sending and updating) but I stopped that because it lacks of voice. We need to have our own voice and method, plus it just make the whole post / update sounds more ‘humanize’.

  5. Jasper Evans says:

    Great post! I can’t believe there are still some eggheads out there on Twitter. Thanks for the reminder on using images in my Twitter stream, I have to use more of them. I also can’t believe how many hash tags users use on Instagram. I’ve seen 15( by many.

    I love the Buffer and haven’t used Hoot suite in some time. I still have an account and will try it again as some things have changed…..

    Thanks for sharing these great tips…

  6. Thanks so much for pointing out the many mistakes we can make on social media. My biggest one is that I’m not using Hootsuite. I looked at your calendar and said to myself “girl you gotta get your game on!” It is quite the time saver. I’m not that involved in Twitter, but have been sharing original pictures on there and it is getting lots of shares.

    When it comes so social media, my main focus is on Facebook and Google+ because that’s where I’m getting most of my “action” People may say Facebook is dead, but as a marketer, it’s a dream come true, especially with ads, and pixels we can use. I’ve built a nice list that way, and yes is paid, but for the low price, it is worth it to me. I do use a post planner for this called pagemodo and I can keep it fresh and alive one week at a time.

    My all time favorite is Google+ because there is where I share every blog I read. It is where the go-giving process gets me more mileage on Google’s searches. I’m surprised to get a PM or email from someone that tells me they found me on the first page of Google because I was commenting on someone.

    Thanks for showing me all about the importance for me to use Hootsuite.

  7. So finally I found some best tips to get right visitors to my new blog, I am working on a blog where I want to get only interested readers mostly from social media. You has made it easy to make it happen.

    btw I have a query I am working on my twitter account and getting good number of followers daily but I am not engaging with them now cause I want to create something first to show them like a perfect blog which will useful for them. So am I doing right or I should talk with them from now ?

  8. Odell Garner says:

    Hootsuite is a best social media tool according to me. I am using this tool since 2 years. Any way I have found great tips on your blog. Thanks a lot for sharing with us.

    Thanks

  9. We need to do your research and find out where your customers “hang out” and only target those networks and make sure you stay consistent with your brand across these networks.” That’s why I’m absent from Yelp, Reddit

  10. Adeline Day says:

    I am amazed at all the high quality content you produce. How do you ever find the time? Great post.

  11. Eddy Hawkins says:

    Jus want to hear about the all popular social media and you made it simple for us. Thanks for your such a nice post.

  12. Meagan Lara says:

    Great Tips! Social media marketing enables you to connect with people. It is the platform on which you can also plan out what to provide people and build your connections along the way.

  13. Vaughn Hicks says:

    Great breakdown of Social Media platforms but I am still trying to work out why Twitter has not been mentioned at all especially considering you have featured Google+ which by all accounts Google is leaving to just wither and die out. And also Yik Yak and Beme which I personally have never heard of.

    Big fail in leaving Twitter out, I know Facebook is king but to not even mention Twitter is a huge hole

  14. Social networking also get business opportunities : Business opportunities in real life got complicated, however in social networks can access people who are willing to do business with you if you put it in the right way. In networks you can find new suppliers that directly access or simply participate in groups of common interest that will facilitate contact.

    But you can also find strategic partners, people who are not providers but they have something that benefits you and you can offer something that benefits you. Contact to work together is something you should look for.

    In networks you will find many people willing to help

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