Common Social Media Marketing Mistakes I See Entrepreneurs Make

There are established best practices in social media marketing for small  businesses, solopreneurs and entrepreneurs.​

Which also means there's mistakes in social media marketing. Here, the most common mistakes I see in my consulting practice:

No intentionality!​

Also called the "Spray and Pray" method, this means being on a bunch of platforms, often for no reason, and posting with your gut and in the heat of the moment. Be intentional about everything: from what platform you're going to be on, why, what your options are there and what you'll do.

Direct cross posting. 

It is a big social media marketing no-no to take the same post and post it at the same time on the same time to multiple platforms. This turns off users for many reasons, as we know users go from platform to platform learning about us. Instead, use a scheduler to space out content and put pieces in-between them.

No idea of target market.

Who's your ideal customer? Also, Everybody! is not a valid answer! Know them specifically: age, marital status, political leanings, hobbies and social circles. This will inform how you talk to your audience, how you engage and how you do business. Create three customer avatars and design social media posts for your audience members specifically!

Not responding.

This is a huge YIKES! in my book - not responding. I mean to everything: positive and negative reviews, comments, messages, you name it. If someone talked to you in real life, you wouldn't just not respond, would you? Instead, respond as you would in the real world on social media.

Relying on schedulers.

Too many people get lazy when using schedulers. While a scheduler helps you plan and deploy content in a manageable manner, the best content and engagement comes from real time activity. Be sure to balance using a scheduler and logging onto the platform.

Ads with no specific ask.

If you're putting money behind an ad or post, ask specifically for what you want. Sign up, registration, follow, you name it. Be specific in your ask and what you want.​

Posting only inspirational, text based memes.

Text based memes do not a social media strategy make. These posts are fleeting and "engagement bait", encouraging a like and...that's about it. They don't let us get to know you or your brand or how we can buy from you! Use these sparingly.

No Plan For Hashtags

 I wrote a whole piece on hashtags that you can reference, but generally here I'm referencing business owners having no idea how to grow social media reach, followers or sales through hashtags. Use the ideal number per platform, and mix up the three types of hashtags you can post (and if you have to, no more than one custom hashtag per business).