Mistakes Your Brand Is Making on Social Media
Despite the opportunities that platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest provide, many brands fall into common mistakes that can prevent their online presence and engagement. Let's explore the five critical mistakes your brand might be making on social media and how to avoid them.
1. Failure to Adapt
A strategy that worked great last year, or even last month, might not yield the same results today. Brands often make the mistake of sticking to a rigid content strategy without considering these changes. The key to success lies in flexibility and adaptability. Regularly review your social media performance, stay in the loop with platform updates, and don't shy away from experimenting with new content formats or trends. This proactive approach ensures your brand remains relevant and can effectively engage with its audience.
2. Not Tailoring Content for Each Platform
While it might seem efficient to post the same content across all your social media channels, this approach overlooks the unique strengths and audiences of each platform. Each social media site has its own culture, preferred content types, and best practices. For instance, LinkedIn thrives on professional development and industry news, while Instagram is a haven for visually engaging content. Tailoring your content to fit the specific context and audience of each platform can significantly improve your engagement rates and help you achieve your marketing goals more effectively.
However, this doesn’t mean you can’t reuse content at all. What we recommend to our clients is to choose one or two platforms that correlate best with what they are offering and optimize content for those platforms. There’s no downside to then reuse that content on other platforms, but it’s important to know where to focus when designing your strategy.
3. Over-Promotion
Social media is a space for building relationships, not just a billboard for your latest products or services. An overemphasis on self-promotion can alienate your audience and reduce engagement. The general rule of thumb is the 80/20 rule, where 80% of your content should inform, educate, or entertain your audience, and only 20% should directly promote your business. This balance ensures that your social media feeds are valuable and engaging to your followers, building a stronger connection and brand loyalty.
4. Neglecting Engagement
Engagement is a two-way street. Many brands focus solely on publishing content and overlook the importance of interacting with their audience and other accounts. Inbound engagement (such as responding to comments and direct messages), as well as outbound engagement (interacting with other account’s posts) is crucial for building a vibrant community around your brand. It humanizes your brand and shows that you value your audience's input and presence on your page. Additionally, engaging with other accounts, especially those in your industry or related fields, can expand your reach and introduce your brand to new audiences.
If you’re looking to level-up your current engagement strategy, here’s a quick guide.
5. Not Investing in Visuals
In the visually driven world of social media, high-quality, compelling visuals are not optional—they're essential. Visual content consistently performs better in terms of engagement, shareability, and recall. However, some brands still underestimate the importance of investing in professional photography, graphic design, and video production. This oversight can make your content blend into the background. Investing in visuals means not only using high-quality images and videos but also ensuring that your visual content aligns with your brand identity and resonates with your target audience.
To get the best results from your next content shoot for social media, check out these tips.
Don’t have the resources or time to manage your brand’s social media accounts? Check out our services and let us help!
