Social media platforms – whether Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (or all three, among others) – have benefitted many brands in getting their goods and services before the public. But your social media strategy needs to be carefully curated and tended to. If not, making a great impression and attracting customers will see an about-face and drive them away. What then, should be done – or rather, avoided – to making your social media strategy a success?
Some social media strategy mistakes that are subtle – but serious.
What have the latest results in your social media campaign report looked like? In case the campaigns have not performed as well as expected, it’s possible what you thought might work really isn’t. As Luis Garcia points out in Entrepreneur, it can be easy to make mistakes that are not so obvious – but are nevertheless critical in the difference between success and failure in your social media campaign performance. They are:
- Too many posts. Content should be posted only if it is relevant to a brand’s targeted audience (and, by extension, prospective customers). Businesses tend to have the mistaken idea that they have to post something on a constant basis in order to stay visible. But visibility for visibility’s sake doesn’t work and will alienate customers if the content is not in line with a brand’s message or what it has to offer.
- Relying exclusively on an agenda. Having a content calendar prepared in advance is necessary to being organized and ready. At the same time, however, breaking news or fresh content that relates either to your brand or audience should replace whatever predetermined content is slated for a particular day and time. This ties in with spontaneity and creativity – the backbone of social media strategy.
- Prioritizing products and services before social. Yes, social media strategy is about attracting audiences to a brand’s products or services. But if that’s all they see, they’ll lose interest. Emphasis should be on engagement between a brand and its audience, especially at a time when demands of transparency and trust are among today’s most important trends to customers.
- Coming up short on brand consistency. This factor can be tricky. While every brand aims to stand out and be different through unique creativity, once a tone, voice and overall vibe is set – it must stay consistent. Audiences trust what is familiar. Anything out of the ordinary can alienate them. So, the challenge for social media strategy professionals is to produce fresh content within set parameters.
- The Instagram and LinkTree connection. The use of LinkTree to connect out of Instagram posts is not too beneficial to social media marketing. It is a third-part app where the client (read: brand) has no control, and it also has limited analytics (and for a price), among other drawbacks. Mr. Garcia believes brands on Instagram should ditch this app and use their individual websites to connect out of Instagram.
If there is one main takeaway that runs through the five points listed above, it’s this: Don’t get complacent. Know precisely what content to post, as well as where and when. Be ready to substitute different content on a particular day if it will have more impact. And most importantly, never lose sight of the relationship between brand and customers. Their tastes change. Your social media strategy should be ready to change as well.
Find out how EGC can help boost your brand’s social media strategy. Contact us today.
