3 Social Media Mistakes That Make Your Small Business Look like a Novice

You are new to the world of social media, and while it has sucked you in and made you an addict to posting for your brand and watching the likes come in, you may still be unsure if you are doing it right. After all, social media marketing is a relatively new phenomenon only popped up in recent years and many businesses, large and small, are still trying to figure it out. Although it is new, consumers still expect businesses to know how to engage well and post relevant information at just the right times. Without doing this, your brand runs the risk of appearing to be a novice.

Here are three of the most common mistakes businesses make on social media that put their newness to this platform on display.

Getting Too Personal
At networking events, professionals are taught not to bring up politics and religion. In addition, it is understood that there are certain sensitive topics that should be avoided around the office. The same holds true on social media. While you have heard time and time again to let your personality shine through on Facebook and all of your social media marketing, you must know when to draw the line and still maintain a level of professionalism. Being controversial on social media is not a bad thing, but down right offending your fans can have negative consequences that can turn a large group of people away from your business. Instead, create a strong brand image by posting safe, funny, and interactive messages and steering clear of the controversial topics that can quickly turn your Facebook page upside down with negative lashings.

Over Promotion of Your Product or Service
Your customers like your product. They have already told you they are interested in learning more about what you do and hearing what your customers has to say about certain industry items. But think of these customers as your friends, and you will realize that constant self-promotion can be annoying instead of stimulating. Instead, it is a good idea to focus on exciting topics about stuff happening in your industry. For example, many vineyards post examples of craft projects to do with empty bottles or corks and upcoming events at their locations. These types of posts are relevant to the product without being overly promotional. When you post in this way, you give your followers a reason to like your brand because you are offering something of value that goes beyond your product and concentrates more on engagement with your end customer or prospect.

Not Responding to Negative Comments
Negativity on social media is unfortunately not uncommon. It is easy to blast a company when the person is safe behind a computer and only talking to a business, not a person. These blasts can be painful, particularly for the business owners who pour their life and soul into growing their business. But these comments should all be addressed, and done so with professionalism. Responding quickly to negative comments can help your business turn a negative experience into an opportunity to show off your service levels. By quickly resolving a customer issue in the public forum, you can show others that your brand cares about critique and being the best that you can be. This can send a stronger signal than leaving negative comments alone, or trying to delete them.

As a business, there is a lot to think about on social media. Let us work with you to find the best social media marketing strategy for your small business so that you can avoid making amateur mistakes and instead look like a pro on this powerful platform.