Are you committing these social media crimes?

Using social media is often a default choice for many brands, especially if you have just launched a new business website or have invested heavily in your digital domains over the years. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn offer instant access to billions of engaged users, allowing you to put your brand, products and services in front of would-be customers at the touch of a button.But, with so much competition, making sure you get your social media marketing spot on is critical to generating results. Read on to check that you aren’t committing any of these common social media crimes…

1. Your posts sell, sell, sell Using your social media platforms as a place to make your sales pitch is common. Many brands fall into the trap of continually posting offers, product links, promotions and yes, outright sales pitches but this is a big mistake. Most Facebook or Instagram users don’t choose a follow a brand for a hard sell. They follow profiles and pages that give them something back – whether that’s news, knowledge, information or entertainment.Don’t be afraid to add some curated content to the mix. Look out for interesting images, videos, GIFs, infographics, news stories and blogs that your audience may find useful. You can also post back to your own content too – sharing older posts again is a tactic many brands fail to deploy but it’s a wonderful way to make the most of your content. 2. You hashtag spam Hashtags are vital to delivery we know but if you load up every post with every hashtag you can think of, the quality of your post will probably suffer. It also comes across as spammy which can put genuine followers off, so you will need to tread carefully. When posting, be strict with your hashtag use and choose only the ones most appropriate to that post. Focus on quality and relevance, not quantity. 3. You don’t engage with your audience Very popular brands could well receive hundreds of social media messages and comments each day – meaning it can feel like an overwhelming task to respond to everyone. If you’re in this situation, the worst thing you can do is avoid interacting and fail to respond to your followers. This is one of the ultimate social media faux pas as this interactivity and engagement is at the very heart of this channel.If you’re guilty of this crime, consider taking on a full time community or social media manager. It would be there role to interact with your audience and as part of that, respond to messages and comments. If you need some concrete proof on how valuable this can be, check out the Silk Fred or Deliciously Ella Instagram feeds.