It’s more important than ever for companies to have an online presence. Integrating social media into your business practices is an easy and inexpensive way to build your brand in today’s expanding digital market. Before you start leveraging these platforms, it’s essential to develop an effective strategy and avoid common social media mistakes that can hinder your marketing goals. Here are 7 social media trends to stay away from.
1. Lacking a Digital Presence
In today’s digital landscape, it’s essential to have a social media presence. Millennials make up the largest demographic on Instagram, while individuals aged 45-64 make up the majority of Facebook and Twitter users. In most cases, social media is the primary point of contact, so digital accessibility is a must for any brand. Deciding which social media platforms to build a presence on will depend on your business and where your audience spends most of their time.
2. Not Maintaining Regular Contact
Creating a social media presence is the first step to building a successful brand but maintaining it is the other piece of the puzzle. Many brands will become lackluster on posting as time passes, leaving customers in the dark. Maintaining steady engagement will build trust and credibility with your audience and help position your brand as an industry leader for your particular products or services.
3. Buying Followers
Building an authentic brand can be challenging and take time. However, you should ensure that it happens organically. Buying fake followers will only hurt your brand in the end. Although they may boost your numbers, they’re not going to engage with your page. Build a strong brand of engaged followers who authentically align with your business and mission. It might take months, but the payoff will be worth it in the long run.
4. Too Much Self Promotion
Even your most loyal followers will get burnt out seeing one advertisement after the next. It’s essential not to lose sight of your audience’s interests and find the right balance of content to share with your followers. If you’re looking for new content ideas, consider linking to content relevant to your audience’s interests. You can also do a Q&A on Instagram stories or host a live stream.
5. Using Excessive Hashtags
Hashtags are an excellent way to reach a wider audience, but you can hurt your content’s performance by using them incorrectly or too much. When you post content, ensure that you’re only using hashtags relevant to your content or audience. If you’re creating a new hashtag, read it aloud to someone to ensure it makes sense to an outside audience. There’s no correct number of hashtags to use per post. It all depends on your business, so A/B testing to find what works best is a good starting point.
6. Running From Negative Feedback
You’re naive to think that everyone is going to have a positive experience with your brand. Chances are, you’re going to get negative feedback about your products or services occasionally. In these scenarios, it’s best not to ignore it. Make sure your customer service team responds appropriately, and don’t make excuses for unmet expectations. Instead, showcase your brand’s desire to engage with your customers. You’ll maintain a positive reputation if you’re open to honest opinions and acknowledge room for improvement. Additionally, a personalized apology will have a lasting impact.
7. Avoiding Controversy
Historically, the “no comment” stance was the safest bet when it came to controversial topics. In today’s climate, customers rely on brands to speak up on important social and political issues to affect change. Staying silent on current social justice issues will only hurt you. Customers want to invest in brands that align with their beliefs. Therefore, this is an excellent way for audiences to find brands that match their core values.
The Takeaway
Social media makes up most of people’s time online, and people check their social accounts more than their emails. Therefore, this level of customer reachability is worth your company’s investment. However, you should avoid these social media trends that can negatively impact your business. The future of social media will continue to provide relevant opportunities for brands to grow. By developing an effective strategy and leveraging social media, you’ll be able to build an authentic brand that helps achieve your marketing goals.