“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” – Richard Branson

Whether we are new or professional in social media marketing, we all made mistakes at some point. Knowing what we did wrong and learning how to avoid them is the best way to do it right.

The 5 most common social media marketing mistakes you’re making

#1. Focusing on quantity over quality

It’s not about how many posts you share a day or a week on your social media platforms. It’s about how many quality posts with good content and well-designed images you created. Are those posts getting any engagement from viewers or followers? Do they like your posts? Do they share with their friends? Do they leave any comments or questions?

We recommend you focus more on delivering the posts that stand out and provide value. Spend extra time to create fewer posts.

#2. Being overly promotional on social media

According to Sprout Social’s survey with a thousand Facebook, Twitter and Instagram users, brand overpromoting is what annoys users the most and drives them to unfollow the brand. Posting content that focuses solely on your offering is a sure-fire way to turn people off.

Instead, we recommend that 80% of the posts you create are non-promotional, with a variety of quality content. And, only 20% of your posts should be promotional posts with calls to action.

#3. Not targeting a specific audience for your content

You may already know how to target your audiences. So your post will reach out to the most relevant people who are interested in your brand. But, targeting a specific group for each post is even more important, especially when you’re promoting an event or workshop, or running a short-term campaign that only certain groups will be interested in.

For example, if you have several products launching or different brand locations, we recommend you set a preferred audience based on what product you’re going to launch or where the location is, and boost that post.

#4. Not boosting the right posts

Do you think you have to boost posts that are not getting attention from your audiences? We may have a different idea. Top-performing posts do even better when boosted. Don’t spend the same amount of money on every post, and don’t boost every post the same way.

Save your boosting budget by using it on the best-performing posts. It will create a domino effect in a very good way. When people see others interacting with your posts, they will be curious. They will want to join the conversation and share their opinions. And so on, your post will be boosted organically.

#5. Not responding to comments/complaints

If it’s not two-way communication, it’s not social media. You’ve been trying to advertise your brand to get people’s attention and get them to engage with your posts, but then you don’t reply to your audience. This is not a winning social media marketing strategy.

Always respond in a positive way and never delete negative comments. Take advantage of those negative comments by responding in a positive way and on time. You can also leave a message saying you will contact them in person and resolve the issue. This shows other audiences that your brand has great customer service.

It’s easy to make mistakes on social media that can hold you back from reaching your goals, but with a little know-how, you can build a stronger, more effective social presence for your small business.

Use the Marketing 360® Social app to save time by scheduling your social media posts in advance, and work with our team of professional social media managers to maximize your impact on social media. Learn more and see our plans and pricing.

About the author

After 10 years working in the hospitality industry, mostly as a sales and marketing representative, Thao made a major change this year to become a social media content manager at Madwire®. Moving from Saigon, Vietnam, three years ago, she quickly adapted to American culture and lifestyle. She enjoys her new job every day with her teammates in the social media department. Besides work, Thao loves traveling, listening to music, cycling, yoga, and hanging out with her family, friends, and her furry friends.