Countless others have made these basic errors, but you don’t have to.

Not Using The Right Platforms

There is no one size fits all social media strategy, and there is no one platform that is right for every single possible target audience. Marketing to Gen Z on Facebook or having a brand that appeals to over 40s solely represented on Instagram is not going to cut it. As a general rule it’s best to cover multiple bases and be present on at least two platforms consistently, but if you only feel you can handle posting to one then do your research and make sure it’s the one that is going to carry your messaging most effectively to your ideal clients.

Dismissing Pinterest

Behind Google and YouTube, Pinterest is arguably the most important search engine in the world, and yet it is completely untouched by the vast majority of brands. Pinterest is an incredible traffic driver, and if used well can open you up to millions of people you would never otherwise reach organically.

Buying Followers

Just don’t do it. I have an entire post about this here, but suffice to say buying followers does more harm than good and is an absolute waste of money, not to mention an indication that you need to seriously reevaluate your business priorities. Vanity metrics are of no use to anyone, and they certainly are not going to translate into clients, sales or real traction.

Overusing Filler Images

There’s no harm in padding out your feed with some light-hearted filler images to boost your aesthetic and lighten the mood, but if your filler is outweighing your actual content then your strategy is not going to work. The aim of social media is to deliver your message to as many people as possible, as frequently and efficiently as possible. Filler content can still fulfil a purpose, but the more you use the more diluted your core messaging is going to be. SO many brands have entire feeds full of ‘Fri-YAY’ and miscellaneous pink objects that have no actual relevance to their product or service, and it is an absolute waste of time and opportunity.

Poor Influencer Outreach

This is something I’ll need to delve into properly in a separate post, but if you’re going to include influencer marketing in your strategy then UNDERSTAND HOW TO DO IT PROPERLY. Don’t expect influencers to work for free. Don’t send product to people without contacting them first and expecting to get a post out of it. Reach out to individuals with a personal message explaining why you think they specifically would make a good fit for what you have in mind. Treat them as real people who have the potential to generate value for you and deserve respect. Nothing can get a brand blacklisted quite as fast as clumsy, poorly executed or ignorant influencer outreach.

Spam Comments/Poor Interaction Tactics

Leaving a bunch of emojis on a reality star’s post is not going to gain you loyal followers, and spamming other people’s comments sections with requests to ‘Check out my page!’ just makes you seem like the most annoying, unprofessional person on the planet. No one will check out your page, and if someone who is already aware of you sees you posting like that they’re likely to think less of you and question whether you’re really the kind of account they want to be following. Poor interaction tactics and spamming reflect horribly on you, and are also completely useless in terms of growing your influence.

Following & Unfollowing

This is a one way ticket to hollow vanity metrics, wasted hours and likely being penalised by the algorithm.

Copycatting

You will never be better at being someone else than they are, and it’s likely that if you try you’ll destroy your own integrity in the process. It’s absolutely fine to take inspiration from others, but outright copying is a one way ticket to trouble. Ethics and authenticity aside, you never know how well what another brand or individual is doing is actually working for them behind the scenes, so you might be wasting your time copying a strategy that doesn’t even work.

Expecting People To Just Come To You

‘If you build it, they will come’ does not apply here. There was a time when simply having a decent Youtube channel guaranteed you subscribers, but social media has evolved and the market is more saturated, so it’s now necessary to put in some actual work in order to make yourself discoverable and build an audience. Once you cross a certain threshold momentum will continue to build and you’ll be able to relax a bit, but hitting that mark takes work, and most people give up before they’ve really given themselves a fair chance.

Boring Product Shots

Your social media is not the place for plain white backgrounds and reposting images from the ‘shop’ section of your website. Product shots, ESPECIALLY on Instagram, need to be lifestyle-focused and show how your product(s) will fit into the viewer’s life. Think flatlays, shelfies, real people and locations where you’d imagine your items being found in the ‘wild’. To a certain extent more is more, so use this as an opportunity to clarify your positioning by incorporating other items, locations or situations that match the vibe of your brand into your product photography. If you’re not sure where to start, there are lots of great resources on Pinterest to spark that inspiration.

This knowledge has been invaluable. It can be transferred to so many different things, and I am far more confident running our social media now. (3).png

Misusing (Or Not Using) Hashtags

I’m working on a full downloadable resource about hashtags because they are the single most misused facet of social media across the board. Stay tuned.

Inconsistency

Posting once a month and then disappearing is not going to cut it. Best case you won’t gain any traction, and worst case it may cause people to view you as unprofessional or untrustworthy. Compile a content calendar ahead of time, and make sure you have at least a few posts a week going up on each platform. Frequency will vary (for instance Pinterest will require more posts than Instagram, and Facebook more than LinkedIn), but across the board you should have posts going up regularly and consistently.

Going It Alone

Social media doesn’t come intuitively to everyone, and that’s fine because it doesn’t need to. If you’re a creative director or a CEO or a business owner or just someone with a brand focused on a different specific skill like copywriting you don’t NEED to spend months educating yourself on the ins and outs of algorithms and content strategy. Knowing the basics is helpful, but outsourcing is a game changer for so many companies, and a comparatively small investment that can make a huge impact. Taking a portion of your marketing budget and putting it towards a social media manager will eliminate the need to spend thousands on traditional marketing methods, and take a significant and daunting task off your plate so you can concentrate on your area of expertise.

Get Started On Your Strategy