“Social media is complex system. Use it wisely to meet your goals, attract your audience and generate new leads!”
1. You focus on the number of times you post rather than the quality. Remember it’s quality over quantity.
Posting consistently is advised but remember you’ve got to post with purpose. It might be to engage, to educate, to inspire, or to convert prospective clients into paying clients (Buffer, 2021). Make sure you plan your posts, to ensure you’ve got a range of good quality content.
2. Incorrect use of hashtags
Every platform will have its own best practice when it comes to hashtags but the fundamental principles are the same.
“A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a hash sign which is used on social media to identify digital content on a specific topic”.
Digital Marketing Institute (2021)
You can also create a branded hashtag to represent a business or service.
The purpose of hashtags is to:
- increase engagement with your followers
- build brand awareness
- show support for social issues
- add context to a social media post
- help you find your target audience
How many hashtags should you use? This is best practice according to Hootsuite (2021).
- Twitter:1-2
- Facebook:1-2
- Instagram: 5-10
- YouTube: 2-3
- LinkedIn: 1-2
- Pinterest: 2-5
3. Posting across platforms
Scheduling your posts is a great idea, it’ll save you time. But remember to adjust your post to suit the platform and the audience on that platform (e.g., you may adjust the number of hashtags used, or you may add ‘link in bio’ for an Instagram post, whereas on other platforms this wouldn’t be relevant).
4. Only posting when you remember or when you have something to say
Having a plan can really help focus on what problems your audience has and how you can solve them. It will also ensure you’ve got a range of content and are posting consistently. Using a scheduling tool like Publer can also help. I like to use Canva Pro to create my posts and Publer to schedule them.
5. You feel you need to be on all social media platforms
You don’t need to be on all social media platforms. Look at where your audience is, and which platforms you feel most comfortable on. Use this as a basis to decide on which platforms you want to pursue. You can always test out a platform to see if it works for you.
6. Not responding to messages/comments on social media fast enough
Responding to messages in a timely manner is vital. We live in a fast-paced world, we’re busy and we want answers to our questions quickly. Otherwise, you may find your clients going elsewhere. Equally, if a client leaves you a comment or review, make sure you acknowledge it.
7. Not using user-generated posts
Your audience will appreciate you using their posts or feedback, make sure you ask permission and credit them when doing so. A parent may tag your business in a post and you could repost, demonstrating that you value your audiences’ input.
“Working with Lucy has been a breath of fresh air – I literally feel that I can breathe again! Running my own business, seeing clients, doing my own social media left me no down time – which was the point of setting up my own business, ironically!
Lucy has given me time back, where I would spend evenings posting and commenting on social media, I have that time to read a book, take a walk – she’s given me my work/life balance back.
Lucy is professional, intuitive and I have total confidence in her to manage my social media and present my business as I want it to be.
I would highly recommend Lucy!”
Sarah Lyons, Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, S L Therapy London
8. Not including a call to action
Recently, I’ve noticed some social media accounts not using a call to action with their posts, they are not showing their audience what they want them to do next. Go back to the purpose of your post and work out what call to action you want to go with that post.
For example:
- Call for a free 20 minute consultation
- Like and follow this page
- Drop a <3 in the comments if you agree
- Book an appointment now
- Limited appointments available. Book now!
9. Not using video
Video is a powerful tool that is not going away any time soon! So make the most of its popularity and use it wisely to engage your audience.
10. Not utilising a strategy
Social media all starts with having a strategy. It can be as simple as WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN, HOW, WHICH.
- Who – who is your audience?
- What – what will you post?
- Why– why will you be posting certain content?
- When – when will your content be posted?
- How – how will you create your content and how will you post it?
- Which – which platforms will you post to?
Are you still feeling overwhelmed?
A power hour is a great way to answer your burning questions, help ease your social media worries and any confusion to get the best out of your social media.