The 5 most common mistakes companies make on social media

You made up your mind and want to invest time and resources to let your company grow? It's the right choice: social networks are certainly channels with enormous potential to be considered when devising marketing strategy.

It is unfortunate that the numerous possibilities offered by these channels can be useless if companies do not use them correctly.

Let's see which are the 5 most common mistakes companies make on social networks. 

 

1) Insufficient knowledge of one's audience

Your public isn't composed of "all" and it's precisely because of this that it is always helpful having a list of buyer personas which are useful to better define who we need to address online.

Also keep in mind that different demographic groups have different preferences on which social media to use. For example, a young person will prefer to use a platform such as Instagram, while a company representative will choose LinkedIn.

Knowing and interacting with your audience helps you understand what their problems are and how your business can solve them.

 

2) Positioning on too many social platforms at once

To increment your online visibility it is not necessary to be present on every social media platform. Always remember that every social has its own distinctiveness and marketing strategies. 

This is also why it is important to know the above-mentioned buyer personas, as they help to define on which channels the potential customer spends their time.

Moreover, too much presence on too many channels reduces the effectiveness of your online presence, thus risking damaging branding and customer loyalty.

A multichannel presence is indeed essential, but you need to understand the different connection points and audiences of the various channels, as well as evaluate the social presence of your competitors. 

 

3) Continuing to believe that social channels like Facebook and Instagram are free

Let's make a small premise: if in 2019 there were 35.7 million active users on Facebook and 22.3 million on Instagram, how do you expect to get noticed without investing in advertising?

Let's face it, organic visibility is dead and has been for quite some time. You may have heard it repeated over and over again: you need quality content to differentiate yourself. True, too bad this is not enough, as this content needs to be made visible.

Promoting content is a great way to reach new customers and even precise market niches. Moreover, not everyone is interested in seeing what you propose with your business, because every user needs to see content based on their own needs and interests.

Here we come to the key word: advertising. Advertising is not a money-eating monster, but an investment and an essential component of a social media strategy worthy of the name. Advertising on social media, done by those with the expertise, can save you a lot of money in the long run.

 

4) Using social media just for selling, selling and... selling.

Have you ever heard of overselling? Yes, in addition to selling too little there is also overselling!

Always bear in mind that people do not use social media simply to buy. Would you buy from a company that persistently puts its product under your nose 10 times a day? No one would shop that way.

You need to create a relationship with your audience before introducing what you have to offer, as well as always answer their questions and requests.

Social media are in fact a means to promote your business, not to overwhelm customers until they get fed up with your products and services.

È tutta una questione di lavoro sulla consapevolezza del marchio, la cosiddetta brand awareness e sui rapporti con la propria audience. Se desideri approfondire questa parte ti invitiamo a leggere "Content marketing e funnel d'acquisto". 

It's all about working on brand awareness, so-called brand awareness, and relationships with your audience. If you would like to learn more about this part, please read 'Content marketing and the purchasing funnel'.

 

5) Non avere una Social Media Strategy ben definita Not having a well-defined Social Media Strategy

As trivial as it may sound, this is actually one of the most common mistakes that companies still make today.

The social media strategy can be defined as the detailed plan that answers the what, how, when and why behind all the content you publish on your company's social pages. It is a plan, a mix of ideas, the path to achieving the goals you set. 

Analysis of buyer personas, competitor analysis, in-depth information gathering of the company, choice of channels, copywriting, editorial plan, drafting documents on social strategy and modalities, integration of online and offline channels are a number of elements to be considered, but they are not all yet.

Often companies that start using social platforms stop at purely social goals (the number of likes, comments and shares). Nothing could be more wrong. Social media strategy is essential to achieve a company's business goals.

 

We have seen the five most common mistakes companies make on their social channels. Another mistake that is often made concerns the inclusion of mandatory company data.  Have you found yourself in one of these mistakes or do you think you don't have enough skills or time to deal with the social media universe yourself?

With our experience and services, we can accompany you on the path to the success of your business goals. Contact us for a free initial consultation.