Social Media Marketing Mistakes: 8 Things That Lead to Failure

The numbers of businesses using social media for marketing purposes is on the rise. As a matter of fact, more than 92 percent of marketing professionals consider social media an important facet of any business’ marketing strategy. But being on social media is one thing, and using it to enhance and grow your business is another.

Unfortunately, many businesses, in a bid to use social media, use it in incorrect ways that damages their reputation instead of building it.

Read on to find out the 8 biggest mistakes businesses make with their social media marketing.

1. They Post the Same Content Repeatedly

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is posting the same content again and again. Take a moment to think about this. What do you normally post on social media? Are you limited to posting only a few types of content? Perhaps you share the latest blog post you posted on your website every now and then.

This approach will make your audience lose interest in your social media pages. It is imperative that you work on deriving effective social media marketing strategies to ensure brand success.

2. They Fail to Get Their Social Media Fans into their Business’s Sales Funnel

The email list of every business is perhaps the most valuable asset as far as marketing and sales is concerned. If your business is not aptly shuffling social media fans to its email list, then it is missing out on the opportunity to develop long-term relationships.

If you are unsure of what to do, start by offering a free information pack to your social media fans in return for their email address. The social media marketing strategies of businesses should be connected with their email marketing efforts to yield maximum results.

3. They Do Not Respond to Questions or Comments from Users

Just posting on your social media pages is not enough. As a matter of fact, it’s just the beginning. The purpose of using social media for marketing is to engage users. Posting content is one way of engaging them and getting them to start a conversation with you.

One of the social media marketing mistakes made by many businesses is when they do not respond to the questions or comments of their fan following. Keep in mind that Facebook is going to be displaying a ‘very responsive to messages’ icon on pages of those businesses that have a high response rate. Therefore, it is even more important to respond now than ever before.

Additionally, responding to negativity poorly will also do you no good. You are bound to get unhappy customers who post negative feedback on social media; make sure you handle them tactfully. Ignoring, deleting, or getting angry with your angry customers is no way to deal with the situation.

4. They Are Inauthentic or Insincere

Many businesses and business owners assume they can get away by not sharing their true self when running social media marketing campaigns. They may have a mental image of who they want to be on social media (or what they are), but this doesn’t always turn out to be a wise strategy in the long run.

It is crucial that you be yourself. Let your personality shine by sharing your real opinions and thoughts. Being fake will do you no good, and most of your audience will in fact see through you.

5. They Post Without Targeting their Market

There are two types of companies: those that post content based on what they are thinking and those that post content based on what their target audience wants. The former almost always fails.

Businesses should spend time to develop social media personas in order to determine what their ideal customer would really expect from them. How is it that you can help them with their problem? Your content should reflect upon the answer to this question.

6. They Promote Their Business or Products Repeatedly

Probably one of the most harmful social media marketing mistakes you can make. Since the advent of social media, marketing approaches have also transformed. Social media marketing is not like traditional TV ads or newspaper ads where you promote your products one after another.

Today’s audience is more informed and makes his or her own decisions. This is why you should use your social media platform to educate your audience about your industry. Your posts don’t have to be full of praise for your business or products; in fact, the content you post should indirectly lead back to your company.

Besides, you are there to engage your audience: post fun and informative content. The more you engage and respect your audience, the more good you will be doing to your business.

7. They Have Unrealistic Expectations of Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is not a vendor-machine where you put your dollar in and you get results immediately. It is designed for long-term marketing where brands can build long-lasting relationships with their customers through frequent engagement and interaction.

It is unfortunate to see so many businesses trying their luck on social media platforms and giving up when they don’t see immediate returns. Make sure you don’t make this mistake of approaching social media marketing with hopes of doubling your sales by next week.

Work with long-term results in mind, and you’ll be successful.

8. They Don’t Build Relationships

Social media is all about building relationships. Those businesses that do not understand it have nothing to do on social media. People on social media don’t even care what you have to offer or how much knowledge you possess – until or unless you are able to prove that you care for them. Roosevelt once said:

“People don’t care what you know until they know you care.” This couldn’t be any truer for social media.

If your business is not trying to build a community and create long-lasting relationships, then it is missing out on one of the most fundamental aspects of social media marketing.