Social media mistakes. We all make them. And though we can learn from them and move on, even better, we can learn from others’ mistakes and avoid making them altogether. And on social media, where a mistake can hurt your efforts to improve customer retention, customer engagement, and your online business, this is especially true.

Learn from these four common social media mistakes so you can avoid making your own:

Leaving an account inactive and not posting often:

When a consumer searches for your business or a business in your area and comes across an inactive account, certain assumptions will be made. Either the consumer will assume you are no longer in business, that you don’t care enough about your customers to keep up-to-date information, or that you don’t understand social media. Youdon’t want any of these, so post and update your profile regularly.

Failing to use analytics:

How can you know if a social media campaign is effective if you don’t have proper measurement tools in place It seems like common sense, but so many marketers and brands make the mistake of launching social media campaigns for the sake of launching a campaign. If you have proper measurement and analytics tools in place, you can accurately gauge which tactics are working and which you should drop. Taking time to read measurements might seem like it’s slowing you down, but it will save you tons of time and money in the future on potentially wasteful endeavors.

Being a chatterbox:

Social media is filled with chatterboxes who have plenty to say, but who never seem to listen to anyone. Don’t let your brand be one of those chatterboxes. The word “social” is built right into the phrase, so it should be nos surprise that you must devote energy to both aspect of social interaction. Take the time to listen to what followers and clients are telling you on social media. Especially make sure that you respond to any direct messages or tweets.

Learning the mechanics of each platform:

We can all conjure memories of people and brands making embarrassing mistakes because they didn’t understand a social platform. If the person handling your social media doesn’t understand which messages are private and which are public, you could run into big problems down the line. There have been recent examples of employees who mistook brand accounts for their own and posted inappropriate messages. Mistakes like this are sometimes unavoidable, but understanding all the mechanics will help avoid most of them.

Feel free to contact me to learn more about using Social Media for your business.

If you enjoyed this article, you may also want to check out these others:

4 Ways To Grow Your Business Using LinkedIn
How To Amp Up Your Visibility With Facebook
4 Ways Business Blogging Helps Build Trust In Your Business
Grow Your Business With Email Marketing
Combining Blogging and Social Media into a Truly Effective Strategy
5 Ways You Can Benefit By Using LinkedIn

This article is published by Will Sherwood | The Sherwood Group |Website Design | Graphic Design | Marketing Communications: The Sherwood Group has over 30 years of experience working with all sorts of companies, small and large. Our clients range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, in nearly every business sector, from across the street to around the world (and yes, even Europe, China, and South America). Our goal is to create advertising,  graphic design, website design, and marketing communication that still looks fresh and relevant 10-15 years later. Our mission is to stir your imagination and leave your competition shaken and wondering,  Now what do we do?”  We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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