Avoid 10 Social Media Mistakes
Are
you new to the social media world? Does the plethora of platforms and options
make your head spin?
Maybe you just don’t know where to start, what to do, or what
not to do.
This list will help you understand the frequently made mistakes
of social media maintenance. If you can avoid these mistakes, you can save your
time, money, and frustration.
1. Concentrating on one or too many
social media platforms
Although the Facebook has become synonymous with social media,
it is not the only network used for website promotion. To get more website
traffic and more search engine results, you need to expand to other platforms.
Google+ is your next best choice if you are short on time.
On the other hand, while you shouldn’t only concentrate on
Facebook, maintaining too many platforms at the same time is very demanding.
Many people who make this mistake quit entirely, because they find the social
media results unrewarding. So start with a couple of networks and then expand
to more when your blog grows organically. When this happens, you also won’t
need to put in as much effort to maintain your networks.
2. Not optimizing your SEO
Besides the traffic benefits gained from social media
networking, there are also some hidden SEO (search engine optimization)
benefits. You can SEO your social media profile, boosting your
presence in search engine results.
Simply treat your social media profile like you would treat your
blog. Special attention should be given to the titles, URLs, and descriptions.
Try to make what you say and share authentic.
3. Not using social media buttons
A secret to social media success is the iconic social media
button. They should be embedded onto your website or blog in an easy-to-spot
location.
I recommend you PURM:
§ Place the Facebook “like”
and Google+ “Add to Circles” buttons in the sidebar, above the
fold.
§ Use and position large
social media buttons above the fold and in visible areas.
§ Remember that readers may
be using tablets to view your pages. They should, as easily as computer-users,
be able to share your content. (Another reason to use large buttons)
§ Make the Pinterest button
available and configured correctly when you use an image.
4. Sharing content shouldn’t only
from your blog
Unless you are Seth Godin or Danny
Sullivan, the content you share shouldn’t only be from your
blog. If you network and share content from other blogs or websites, you will
actually get noticed more and get more followers.
Try also to follow the leaders in your niche; share their
content continuously and interact with them by posting quality comments or
mentioning them in your posts.
5. Following people incorrectly
All membership websites and blogs have rules, and social media
networks are no exception. Don’t start adding and removing tons of people every
day. I would say that adding 10 to 20 people a day on each social network is
enough to grow your profile steadily and keep you under the radar at the same
time.
If you are too aggressive, then you may get penalized. Facebook
may not allow you to add new friends for 30 days; Twitter may suspend your
account; Google+ may give you a notice. These penalties will only slow you
down.
Many new users are excellent at following new people but not
following back their already-loyal followers. If you don’t do them, then people
will stop following you. This is why you see fluctuations in your followers
count.
6. Not knowing the difference between a
personal and business profile
Your Facebook and Google+ personal accounts own your respective
business accounts. First create your personal account; then your business
account. Use your business profile to promote posts only from your website; use
your personal profile to promote posts from other websites.
7. Going on either autopilot or manual
mode
There are many tools that automate social media tasks, but this
is not entirely recommended. Personal contact should be used where it’s needed.
Social networking is not only about connecting but also about engaging. To find
new customers and more followers, engage with them both offline and online.
On the other hand, you cannot do everything by yourself. If you
are active on more than one network, you will need a lot of time to make posts,
write comments, and engage with your followers. You should use a tool for some
of those tasks.
I use Buffer to schedule some of my Twitter tweets,
giving me time to work on Facebook and Google+.
8. Neglecting the fact that people may “Like”
or “+1” your post without reading or visiting your blog
I have noticed that many times, when I post a URL from my blog
onto Facebook, there is a large number of Facebook likes but not many visits to
the article page. It is then important to use good thumbnails, catchy titles,
and attractive descriptions. Also try to post when many people are online.
These tips can make your post go viral.
Thumbnails are especially important. Many studies have shown
that posts that use nice thumbnails will get more likes, tweets, pins, etc. So
every time you want to post, make sure to accompany the post with an attractive
thumbnail.
9. Not Advertising
Let’s say that you have 2000 fans on your Facebook business
page. When you post something new, it will only be seen by approximately 200
people, or 10 percent of your fans. The easiest way to fix this issue is to
advertise.
It’s good to know that if you want to get more fans, likes,
tweets, followers, and 1+s, then you should utilize the platforms’ advertising
options. Facebook has Facebook
ads, Twitter has promoted accounts
and tweets (only
available in the US), and Google+ has Adwords
express platform. They are easy to use, they don’t cost much, and
the results are very rewarding.
There is a common misconception that you are buying likes or
tweets if you advertise. But really, you are just giving your posts a better
chance of being seen. The likes and tweets still depend on the quality of your
content.
10. Not using hash tags
A hashtag is the easiest way to follow a
discussion on any platform. For example, during the NBA finals you can search
“#nbafinals” on Twitter, Google+, or Facebook to stay informed about the latest
stories.
To use hashtags, just type “#” before your keyword. For example
the tweet for this post would look like:
Top
10 social media mistakes to avoid #socialmedia
#socialmediamistakes
Social media is a very important component to the digital
marketing campaign. It is an absolute must for every blogger or entrepreneur
who wants to stay afloat in the competitive, online world.
Now that you have educated yourself with the ins and outs of social
media networking, go out and get busy!
