7 Common Social Media Mistakes to Avoid in 2024

In this video, Alyssa breaks down the most common social media mistakes in 2024 and how to avoid them so you can implement a social media campaign that drives revenue for your business.

Transcript: To quote the icon Hannah Montana: “Everybody makes mistakes.” And this is true especially when it comes to social media marketing. Fortunately, we can learn from these mistakes to create campaigns that drive incredible results.

That’s why in this video, I’ll break down the most common social media mistakes in 2024 and how to avoid them, so you can create a social media campaign that engages your audience, increases your followers, and boosts your brand awareness.

Let’s get started!

7 common social media marketing mistakes to avoid in 2024

Mistake 1: Being on every social media platform

There are so many social media platforms to choose from. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, the list goes on and on. If you think you should create a page for your business on each and every site, you could make one of the most common social media marketing mistakes.

Each platform is unique, just like your company. That’s why you need to find the platforms that suit your business and target audience to maximize your revenue.

Is your target audience made up of Gen Zers? You’ll likely find them on TikTok. Does your brand target Gen X? Facebook may be a great option.

Think about each platform’s features, uses, and audience to find the best social media site for you.

And the result? You can focus your time and effort on the platforms that help you drive the most revenue instead of spreading yourself thin by juggling too many sites.

Mistake 2: Avoiding negative feedback

Most of the time, receiving negative feedback is inevitable. It might seem like you get negative reviews or comments no matter what you do, especially with how easy it is for consumers to give feedback online. But that doesn’t mean your product or service entirely failed your customers!

Instead of ignoring it, you should embrace it and respond with care to those negative comments. Address the negativity as quickly and politely as possible. Yes, I said politely.

If you ignore negative feedback, your audience might get the impression that your brand doesn’t provide a positive experience or care about its customers, which can send them to a competitor.

There may be cases where you don’t have to respond to a critic, but I’ll explain more on that in just a bit. Anyway, here are some quick tips for responding to negative feedback:

• Apologize for what went wrong
• Offer an explanation
• Provide an immediate resolution
• Don’t be unoriginal or follow a set script for each comment

By responding to negative feedback, you can show other potential customers that you are willing to address and resolve their concerns.

Mistake 3: Not responding to your audience

Social media is social. Not engaging with your social media followers kinda defeats the purpose of having an account. Social media provides the perfect opportunity to engage with your audience and  build relationships that foster brand loyalty.

But you can only reap the benefits of this opportunity if you respond to your followers. Be sure to take the time to respond to comments, direct messages, and mentions. Doing so keeps your audience engaged with your brand and answers their questions and concerns.

It’s also important to note that not every comment or message is response-worthy. Some comments might be spam or someone might share entirely false information. In this case, it’s okay not to respond and delete those types of comments.

You can use social media listening tools, like Hootsuite or Buffer, to help you stay on top of all your comments and mentions across your social media sites.

Mistake 4: Posting the same content across platforms

As I mentioned earlier, each social media platform is unique. And that means your content on each site should be, too.

Your audience and goals may be different on each platform, which means you’ll need to tailor your content accordingly. For example, you might target Gen Z on Instagram while shifting to Millennials on Twitter.

In addition, people have different expectations for the types of content they expect to see on each platform. On YouTube, your audience may want in-depth tutorial videos. On Instagram, they may want to see attention-grabbing photos and short videos.

Try experimenting with different types of content on your social media pages. Tailoring your content for each platform helps you boost your reach and engagement.

Mistake 5: Not reaching out to influencers

Next on our list of social media mistakes to avoid is not reaching out to social media influencers. Social media is full of influencers — both large and small — who create content related to your business.

And consumers trust their opinions when it comes to the best brands, products and services.

Search for an influencer that fits your niche and target audience, then reach out. Promoting your products or services with influencers is a great way to boost your awareness and reach more members of your target audience.

Mistake 6: Ignoring your competitors

To drive revenue, you need to stay one step ahead of your competitors, especially on social media. If you’re not scoping out your competition’s social media page, you could be making one of the most common social media marketing mistakes.

Put on your detective gear and follow your competitor’s pages on social media for the ultimate stakeout. Take notes on:

• The types of content they post
•  How often they post
• Which platforms they’re on
• Which content performs the best
• How they engage with their audience

Ask yourself how to implement some of the tactics your competitors use on your own social media page. You can also keep an eye out for anything they’re not doing, like responding to their followers, and include this strategy in your campaign.

Mistake 7: Not diving into user-generated content (UGC)

Encouraging users to engage with your brand on social media is key to getting results. And one of the best ways to boost engagement and up your content game is to dive into user-generated content (UGC).

User-generated content gets people talking about your brand, products, or services. Plus, having your audience help you with advertising makes your social media marketing campaign easier and more effective.

User-generated content can be anything from reviews of your products, art related to your company, or photos of your customers with your products.

While people may trust your business, they trust people who weren’t paid by you to say nice things even more.

You can ask for user-generated content by holding a contest or creating a post. It’s that simple! Then, all that’s left is to promote it on your page and watch your engagement soar.

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