It’s 2020, and at least 3.6 billion people are using social media. In 2025, it’s projected that this number will grow to more than 4.41 billion. Given those huge figures, it’s very likely your target customers are using one or more of the most popular social media platforms. If you learn to use it correctly, social media offers great potential for your business.
It’s not difficult to get started with social media, but it’s possible you may be making some mistakes that are causing your campaigns to either stall or fail to take off.
The Most Common Social Media Mistakes
These are some of the most common social media gaffes in 2020, and our suggestion to fix them:
You Don’t Have a Strategy
Social needs strategy, just like advertising, email, and all other marketing elements do. Social media works because it creates an environment where brands can be real with their customers and fans. If you don’t know what message you want to convey, when you’re going to promote events or sales, and the specific content you plan to schedule, you run the risk of devaluing your brand.
Without a strategy or plan, you risk scrambling at the last minute for content when you should have a clear vision for the what, why, when, and where of your messaging.
Sit down with your marketing team and outline your goals for social media, and then start filling the holes in your content calendar. Make your brand relevant by proving you know your voice, who you want to reach, and what you can offer. If you’re not sure where to start, we can help you out.
You Choose the Wrong Platforms
It’s tempting to want to concentrate your efforts on the most popular social media sites, but that only makes sense if your target audience is spending time there. While most of us have an idea about who’s using some of these platforms (it’s common knowledge that young users gravitate to TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube), marketers should carefully examine the demographic usership of each platform before they decide to put effort into building a following.
You’re Not Optimizing the Platforms You’re Using
Even though it’s impossible to completely decipher the secret algorithm each social media site relies upon, we can make solid recommendations about how three of the more popular sites decide which content to feature.
1. Facebook
Facebook is making it a bit more difficult for companies to get traction on the platform since they’ve stated that they are now prioritizing content posted by “Friends.” Their thinking is that people have more meaningful interactions with friends than with businesses. But you can take these approaches to give your interactions more depth:
- Start a conversation and ask for feedback.
- Position your company as an advocate for its customers and audience.
- Don’t post clickbait.
- Track your performance so you can see what type of content performs the best.
2. Instagram
Instagram relies on past behavior to determine what it thinks you want to see on your feed. Its algorithm decides to push posts it thinks you will like based on whether you’ve engaged by liking a photo, viewing a video, making a comment, or resharing.
So, how do you get people to engage with your posts? Post frequently, treat comments like conversations, and acknowledge your commenters with a like, emoji, or reply.
The Instagram algorithm also focuses on how old your post is, so learn when your followers are online to help boost your likes and comments. (You can find this information by clicking the “Insights” button on your business profile.) It will also help to start using hashtags that are relevant to your business and audience.
3. LinkedIn
When people log in to LinkedIn, the algorithm will show them posts from other members they actually know in real life and content that’s relevant to what they care about.
Tips for getting more views on LinkedIn include posting relevant content that includes more deep dives vs. broad messaging, encouraging engagement (hint: use more rich media), and, as with Instagram, posting at the right time. Check out LinkedIn’s “Analytics” page for more insight into audience trends and behaviors.
Social Media Marketing and Public Relations Agency
Social media is only effective if you choose the correct platforms and know the right ways to use them. By utilizing the experience and resources of a trusted marketing and PR agency, you gain access to strategic integrated communications—including social media and PR—to invigorate your business’s growth.
At Bloom Communications, we know how to use social media, PR, marketing services (and more) to impact your business. By helping mission-driven organizations grow and thrive, and creating strong partnerships with our clients like Sleep Better Georgia, we’re able to ensure our client’s success.
Contact us today to learn how we can help guide your brand with social media and more.