5 Common Social Media Mistakes made by Small Businesses

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that social media is one of the most effective tools for small businesses that want to improve their sales and reputation. However, if it’s not used properly it can actually damage your brand’s reputation. 

 

In this post, we’ll look at some of the most common social media mistakes that you and your business should avoid at all costs. 

 

 

Different social networks will suit different companies and it’s important that you establish which sites will work best for you. Use one or two social networks at a time, analyse where your target audience spends most of their time and build your social profile there. Once you are able to generate a sizeable audience, you can then try and extend your presence to other social networks. 

 

 

Neglecting your consumers can result in hard feelings and even missed opportunities. 72% of customers who reach out to a brand via social media expect a response within a hour and it’s important that when people choose to engage with you on a social platform, you respond quickly and effectively. 

 

 

Social media posts with spelling mistakes and poor grammar can look sloppy. Before you post, review what you’ve written and correct any errors - you don’t want to look unprofessional! 

 

 

There are many factors to consider when deciding how often to post but quality and consistency should always be the top priority. For Facebook and LinkedIn, the recommended post frequency is 1-2 posts a day whilst 5-10 posts per day is a common frequency for Twitter. Posting relevant and regular updates is a sure way to increase your social media engagement. 

 

 

It’s important to remember that social media isn’t your business outlet, instead it is a way of drawing them to your business outlet (your website or online store). Filling your social media accounts with adverts will disinterest your followers and reduce engagement.  

 

Be sure to share relevant content that your target audience can read, engage with, discuss and share. This will increase engagement and boost awareness of your brand. 

 

The world of social media provides small businesses with endless opportunities but these mistakes can damage the reputation of a small business beyond repair. We hope that by identifying some of the most common social media mistakes, you will now know what not to do and will be able to experience the professional benefits of social media and experience more engagement, improvement and ultimately more sales. 

 

Feel free to reach out to us at hello@pinkleopard.co.uk if you have any questions!