It can be very daunting when small business owners need to get their names seen and heard and that’s where social media marketing comes in. Around 95% of online adults will follow a brand via social media and Facebook can have a huge influence on people’s buying behaviours so it’s important to get these things right.

When you start posting and sharing content it all seems to go well until you realise you are not getting as much of a following as you originally hoped. These mistakes are easy to make and we have seen businesses do these from time to time but the sooner you spot these mistakes and learn from them the sooner you can enjoy the perks of social media marketing.

Sharing content you like

Now we aren’t saying this is a complete mistake. Sometimes this does work when you share things you are interested in. It shows the brand has a personality and a say in topics that are widely talked about and most importantly, gets you seen. Well, seen by people that might not be your target audience. Defining a target audience is key to marketing and especially social media marketing. Make sure you know what your audience likes and interests are and share accordingly. Engagement from your audience will then increase and with that, your brand’s credibility and relatability as it can be used as a customer service tool. 71% of consumers who have had a pleasant interaction with brands on social media will want to recommend them to others. Plus, it means they won’t keep ignoring you when you’ve shared the tenth cat video today.

Content that isn’t valuable enough

When creating your own content for social media marketing it’s easy to make posts about what your business does and how it can help your customers. Believe us, you should be doing that but in moderation. People don’t want hard selling all the time when they are casually scrolling through Facebook. Make content valuable to the customer. Ask yourself why your audience would be interested in this post. The ‘So What?’ test is a great way to determine if your content will get the most engagement and it simply involves asking yourself will your audience gain anything from this. Why is it important? So What? If your target audience can answer these questions then you are already winning them over. It needs to be relevant to your target audience and the more relevant it is the more engagement and shares online. Whether it be a blog post or an info graph as long as it touches on one of the interests you have identified with your customer profile. Also, it’s a good test to use when sending newsworthy press releases or contacting local newspapers and magazines about your business.

Not using keywords in your content

Keywords are the words people use to search for your business, so you need to make sure you mention them plenty of times in social media marketing. This is what is going to make your business easier to find online due to Search Engine Optimization. Practicing SEO means your website or post will rank higher in search engine results. Listen out for keywords too when customers talk about the services or products you specialise in and utilise that. 96% of people that talk about brands or the services they provide don’t follow the brand owned profiles so make sure you are listening in on those unbranded conversations to show you are going beyond just posting and liking.

Using too many social media profiles

It’s hard work keeping up with social media trends sometimes when you are running a business singlehandedly. Many big corporate businesses have a large team of people managing their social media profiles every day, constantly updating their posts and tweets. Of course, not everyone can afford such a service so make things simpler for yourself and pick a select few social media profiles to focus on. Deciding this will depend on your target audience. Younger generations tend to lean towards Instagram and Facebook but if you are working B2B then LinkedIn and Twitter might be your best option. Get to know what your audience use and then implement that in your choices because no one has time to update several different profiles every day.

These are common across-the-board mistakes that some businesses make but every business is different. If you feel like you need a little more help when it comes to getting your business booming on social media then why not get in touch with us and see what we can do for you.