Social media mistakes brands should avoid

By Madalynn Abele | 14 Feb. 2022

Photo by Georgia de Lotz on Unsplash

In today’s age, social media has become one of the more important parts of a brand’s overall strategy. The reach of a new generation requires a new form of engagement.

However, having followers doesn’t mean your audience pays attention to what your brand is posting. Everyone in the world is fighting for eyes on their content, and it is a brand’s job to make sure the eyes land where you want them.

Here are seven social media mistakes brands should, and can, avoid to make their brand reputable and engaging across various platforms.

Focus on quality over quantity

People see anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 ads each day, but only remember a few. It can be so easy to want to get as many posts out there in order for people to see them, but it’s only the memorable ones that actually make a difference. Quality posts resonate more with your audience and therefore can help the algorithm surface them to more people.

Target platforms to the audience

If the platform isn’t popular with your target audience, then don’t use it. According to Pew Research, adults under 30 stand out for their use of Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, and women are more likely than men to use Pinterest. Similarly, don’t post the same content across each platform. Each platform works for a different purpose and a different crowd; use that to your advantage.

Don’t only share your own content

Sharing content from other profiles can build trust with your followers. If you only shared your own, your target audience may not believe you have their best interests at heart. It can also just be a supplement to your content, piggybacking off the content of others. However, knowing whose content to share is also important in establishing credibility.

Not uploading videos

With the growth of TikTok & Instagram Reels, it is easier to upload short videos, which definitely helps with video sharing. YouTube is also a great resource for brands, but don’t just share a link to a video. Videos posted directly on social media platforms do much better than those linked. For example, the interaction rate for Facebook native videos were on average 109.67% higher than for linked YouTube videos.

Not boosting posts

Boosting posts can help your content reach a larger, specific audience of people who would like your content but don’t directly follow it already. A part of the benefit of this, however, is knowing exactly what to boost. A high engagement rate shows that the content was interesting to the audience, so those are the posts you should boost.

Not responding to questions on social

Social media is all about interactions and engagement, but most businesses continue to use social as a promotional mechanism instead of this two-way communication channel. 75% of people say they are more likely to post something positive about a brand that makes a meaningful connection with them on social media, and 70% say they’re more likely to actually make a purchase.

Hiding the people behind the brand

Social media works well because it is social. People can connect with people; they connect with a lifestyle, not a product itself. Just like with influencers, social media authenticity of a brand is so meaningful to followers. The brand has to contribute to an ongoing conversation to continue a meaningful relationship with consumers.