Welcome!• Slide 3: Social Media Marketing

Mistakes• Slide 16: The do’s and don’ts of

social media• Slide 29: World’s Cleverest

Social Campaigns• Slide 30: Personal Social Media

Fails• Slide 45: Blog – How to

Persuade & Influence for Success

Table of Contents

BEWARE of these

SOCIAL MEDIA BLUNDERS!

We’ve talked a lot in previous articles about the various ways to ensure the success of your social

media marketing campaign.

But what about the things you should actively avoid? Both as a business, and even personally?

Look around the web and there are plenty examples of social media marketing mistakes.

These can be simple goofs or major faux pas that can compromise the success of your social

strategy, or at worst, harm your business and your brand. First impressions count, so you need

to get it right the first time.

Once you have made a great first social impression, you then need to maintain that image. Image is

everything on social media.

Here are some of the biggest social media

marketing mistakes to be avoided:!

Failing to Plan

An effective social media campaign is well thought out and

planned ahead. It takes commitment and time, and is a

long-term strategy.

If you don’t have the time and inclination to be active and to have a regular presence on social media, this marketing channel will not

work for you. You need, before you even create a profile, to determine your time investment, your goals and strategy to

achieve them.

Having multiple profiles

Some companies choose to have more than one profile on platforms like Twitter and

Facebook. These all link back to their main website.

This is not only annoying and a waste of time and effort; it’s not

100 per cent legal. Make one profile per platform you use, and

make it count.

Failing to interact: You need to no t on ly pos t and

pub l i sh updates ; you a l so need

to in te rac t w i th you r

fo l l owers ’ .

L ike and rep ly to the i r

comments . Answer the i r

ques t i ons , and ask f o r

feedback .

v

Social media is not meant to equate with a loudspeaker so you can talk at your audience – you need to be conversing with them.

“

Now what do I do?

MUST READ:

The dos and don’ts of

social media.

Spamming

each and every t ime you post .

This will annoy your followers faster than

anything else you might do. Only post relevant links and make your presence valuable,

Having fake followers

Sti l l a huge no-no.

Without real fo l lowers, your profile has no v irtual

support , you wi l l generate no leads for

your business and there is no point to your

social presence . I t ’s much better to have a smal ler base of real

fo l lowers who are support ive, and which bui lds into a steadi ly growing network over

t ime.

Automated linking

• A u t o m a t e d p o s t i n g c a n b e v a l u a b l e i f i t ’ s d o n e

i n a c o n s i d e re d a n d s t r a t e g i c w a y.

• I t m u s t b e s t r u c t u re d a n d w i t h o u t a n y

r a n d o m n e s s .

• A u t o m a t i n g t h e p o s t i n g o f b a c k l i n k s t o y o u r

w e b s i t e , o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , i s a k i n t o s p a m –

j u s t d o n ’ t d o i t .

Failing to target effectively

You MUST identify your target audience prior to creating a social profile. This is part of the branding of your business, so it should have already been done. A targeted social media campaign will

be much more successful for your business than flying blind.

Posting inappropriate material

It might seem like the most basic of common sense, but there are plenty of

businesses that post inappropriate content at times and this can be extremely

damaging to a brand and to the success of a social media strategy.

Never post anything that could be perceived as offensive by

anyone. Always check content and links before publishing a post. Never post while angry,

upset, overtired or intoxicated.

Trend misinterpretation

Trending topics, as well as hashtags, can provide a valuable opportunity for brand visibility on social platforms. If you use the right hashtag at the right time, it can be a boon for your brand. Yet inappropriate use of a hashtag and

entry into a trending topic can compromise your brand’s reputation instantly. You can even cause offense. Always check exactly what a hashtag is being used for before using it yourself. And only enter the conversation if you

have something of high value to contribute – not to simply be seen.

SILENCEYou have a p rofi le bu t have no t

pos ted fo r a week – o r even l onger.

A re y o u s t i l l t h e re ?

S i l e n c e o n l i n e i s o n e s u r e w ay t o l o s e fo l l o w e rsand have them move on to other more active brands (that is, your competitors).

This is where a post scheduling tool like Symphony can be useful – set up posts for

the next week; this way you need only commit to posting once a week, yet your

posts can be published once or twice a day, or as often as you choose.

TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE WORLD’S CLEVEREST SOCIAL CAMPAIGNS

SIDE NOTE

and find inspiration for your own

Personal Social Media Fails

This might be an appropriate time to address one’s personal use of social

media. While your personal social profile is just that – personal – there are some

things you should be very aware of when using social media personally.

When you have a social presence, a poorly-considered post can be

detrimental to your reputation – and this can potentially be harmful to your

career. Avoid these personal social media fails at all costs:

Posting to social media when you are “sick”: If you don’t want your boss or co-

workers knowing you are taking a fake sickie, don’t be on social media -

especially if you are in actual fact, out and about and enjoying your day. People have been terminated for doing just this.

Tweeting or posting about a job offer or interview: This

information should be kept private until the job has been

offered and signed off on.

Criticizing your boss or workplace:

Another sure way to be fired. Would you tell your boss to their face that you hate them, or that they are incompetent; you

hate your job, etc?

Then never say any of this on social

media. Once it’s out there, it can’t

be taken back. And others can

always pass the message on.

(Beware the screenshot facility).

v

Posting sensitive social, political, or religious opinions: One person’s funny is another person’s offensive. Avoid talking

about religion, race, politics or social issues. Don’t post anything that could be

perceived as insensitive or profane.

Making negative comments about clients/customers/patients: Your client or

customer is your bread and butter. Without them, you don’t exist – you don’t have a job. If

you need to vent, do it face to face at an appropriate time and place with a co-worker or

superior. Or face to face with your friends in private. Never mention names!

Breaking confidentiality: This is grounds for instant dismissal – and

there may even be legal consequences. Never break

confidentiality in an arena – but especially not on social media.

Participating in a social media argument:

Hello Taylor Swift/Kim Kardashian. While it may be quite entertaining to be on the outside of some such social arguments, do we have any more respect for either of these women for their participation in

their latest Twitter feud? You might not be famous, but even so, if you

take part in an online argument, it’s not a good look. You may appear to be aggressive, oversensitive, rude,

or even a troll. Just don’t do it.

Fr iending the wrong people :I f you are a teacher , don’ t Facebook fr iend your students or thei r parents . I f you are a heal th profess ional , don’t connect wi th your pat ients . A manager needs to keep a soc ia l d istance between themsel f and employees ( i f on ly to avoid accusat ions by other employees of favour i t ism), and an employee should th ink twice before f r iending thei r boss on soc ia l media .

Any effective digital marketing strategy will include a social media component. Done right, your social

media marketing campaign can propel your brand and business in a

way like no other entity.

A great post can go viral and launch your online presence to the stratosphere. A bad post can also go viral, and damage

your reputation beyond repair. It is therefore crucial that you avoid making

any kind of faux pas or social media marketing mistakes, large or small.

I t c a n b e v e r y d i ffi c u l tor even imposs ib le to effec t i ve l y

bounce back f rom a m is take ; p revent i on i s be t te r than cure .

Wo u l d y o u l i ke t o k n o w h o w t o m a ke y o u r s o c i a l m e d i a re a l l y w o r k f o r

y o u ?

MUST READ WHILE YOU ARE HERE:

Have you read our blog on how to persuade and influence for success

when i t comes to you r soc ia l med ia marke t ing? I f no t , i t ’ s wo r th the f ew m inu tes you ’ l l spend read ing i t .

Have a look around this blog for some super social t ips. There are plenty.

I f y o u a re p ro f e s s i o n a l w h o u s e s L i n ke d I n , o u r f re e L i n ke d I n C o u r s e i s

a g re a t p l a c e t o s t a r t f o r y o u s o y o u g e t t h e m o s t o u t o f t h e p l a t f o rm .

I t w i l l f o rm the bas i s o f awareness and bu i ld ing a connec t ion

so you can s ta r t and ma in ta in a so l i d re la t i onsh ip w i th your

ta rge t marke t .

When they know , l i ke and t rus t you , t h e y w i l l e v e n t u a l l y b u y f r o m

y o u .

Adam Houlahan

International Keynote Speaker specialising in Social Media for business, and CEO of the highly

successful boutique agency, Web Traffic That Works

https://www.adamhoulahan.com/