Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and many more; Social Media is often seen as an ‘easy’ Marketing tactic that can be delivered by anyone, whether they have digital marketing expertise or not!
Given that Social Media is such an integral part of many Marketing strategies, why, then, do businesses choose not to invest in professional support? We often see Social Media posts from companies who may well be outstanding in their own industry / sector, but whose Social posts are not hitting the mark. Using internal resource may eliminate some of the cost element of employing a professional, however, that cost saving may be countered when the quality of the social media does not reflect the same quality as the product or service you’re delivering.
Some of the common mistakes we see in Social Media posts which can undermine the quality of your brand
- Inward facing content
We’re delighted it’s Sally from Finance’s birthday today, or that you’re attending an industry event, however, if you’re not telling us why or how that’s relevant to us then we’re going to struggle to see the benefit (or even point) of the post. The only people likely to engage with that post are your colleagues sharing the birthday cake and then we get into the realms of vanity metrics…More on that later…! - Poorly photoshopped images
It’s better to not use an image at all than to use one that has been photoshopped badly. Shading, cropping off arms, odd-angle selfies, they’re really not giving the best impression. If you don’t have internal quality filters on your social posts then how will external audiences trust that you have quality filters on the product / service you’re delivering for them? - Image sizing
Different platforms use different image sizes so don’t expect one size to fit all. A beautifully formatted photo carousel for Twitter will not appear the same when it’s used on LinkedIn. You can end up cropping off the most important part of your message, or worse still, end up showing part of your message that then changes the meaning entirely. Check those sizes!
- Font / Colour / Logo inconsistency
Being inconsistent with the use of fonts, colours and logos might not seem important, but if you’re not paying attention to detail with your own brand then how can customers/ prospects expect it with their order? (And, on a larger scale, how can they be expected to identify you as their brand of choice, if they can’t keep track of which brand that is?!)
So, how do you avoid these pitfalls and generate a successful Social Media presence?
First and foremost – engaging content!
Don’t think about what you want to say, think about what your audience wants to hear / see. Benefit driven content will encourage genuine engagement. If you’re intent on posting about Sally’s birthday, subtly tie it in to your culture and values. If you’re attending an industry event, tell people why you’re there – are you improving your knowledge in a subject area? Are you the subject area specialists and imparting your expertise to other industry professionals? Are you keeping up to date with what’s happening in your location / sector / network?
Don't sell on Social Media
We’re encouraged not to ‘sell’ on Social Media; photos of your products with the price and ‘BUY NOW’ won’t encourage people to purchase your products. Bombarding people with your sales pitch on Social networks can feel like an intrusion into their personal space. Instead create content about industry news, tips and advice, customer reviews/ testimonials and Case Studies. This more subtle approach will still extol the benefits of buying your products or using your services, it just won’t be so pushy.
Avoid 'BUY NOW'
Think about content that your audience would likely engage with – will they answer a poll about which product they prefer? Will they leave a reply with a quote / testimonial about what they appreciated most about working with you. Show your product or service in use and mention some of the benefits and link to ‘more information’ on your website if you need to, but avoid that ‘BUY NOW’ sentiment.
Beware Vanity Metrics
The aim is to engage with your customers or prospects in a positive way. If your social posts are getting lots of impressions, ‘likes’ ‘shares’ or follows from your colleagues, are these really the people you want to be talking to and engaging with? Are these the people who are going to buy or use your products / services? No. It might make you feel good to know your post has a number of likes but if you can’t relate that engagement to return on investment, how can you measure its success? Vanity metrics, as they’re known in the industry, are the figures that are easy to obtain and can often look good, but they can’t give you a good idea of return on investment or help you identify areas of focus for the business. It’s true that high engagement, wherever it comes from, can support with brand awareness as an objective, but it is unlikely to achieve ‘transactional’ goals if the engagement is not from the target audience.
Social Media is one of the most versatile and cost effective ways to reach your customers and prospects, but if it’s not done properly, it will not offer value for money (or time!) - something worth considering next time you're looking at your Social Media Strategy.
