Not Getting Any Followers? 11 Social Media Mistakes You are Probably Making

So you have taken the time to create social media accounts for your business but can’t get anyone to follow you or like your posts. What could be the problem? Well, if you’re like most businesses, you’re probably making a few of these mistakes, resulting in a lack of social media popularity.

1. Not being consistent

One of the worst things you can do for your social media marketing campaign is to sporadically post content when you have time instead of on a consistent schedule. To stay relevant and noticed by your audience, it is important that you’re posting to your social media pages at least once a day. There are several tools available, such as Hootsuite , that will allow you to schedule your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter posts, so that you can go on with your busy day without worrying about posting them yourself.  Without committing the time needed for a successful social media marketing campaign, you will end up forgotten by your audience. 

2. Ignoring feedback

Whether your fans send you good or bad comments, it’s a must to respond to each one. Remember that unless these comments are sent through private messages, they will be seen by all of your followers. How you respond to them can either help or hurt your company’s reputation. For example, if one of your customers is unhappy with the service or product they received, come up with a solution that will put their faith and loyalty back in your company. When responding to unfavorable comments, do not forget to add a personal touch letting the customer know that you hear them and are not just sending out a generic response. KMart caused an uproar among their social community in 2013 when they responded to all negative comments with a generic response over their holiday hours and staffing policies.

The customer needs to know they are heard and they will be able to tell what your level of caring is through your message. Another form of feedback is the number of likes or shares your posts receive. This information can tell you what topics your audience are interested in and what ones should not be posted again. By not paying attention to the nonverbal cues your audience gives you, your social media campaign is bound to fail. 

3. Posting material that is too controversial

If you want to get people talking, bringing up a controversial topic will definitely accomplish that task, but could also end up being offensive. Before posting anything that may cause quite a stir among your audience, talk it over with your team and brainstorm what topics may upset some people and which ones your customers will enjoy talking about. There is a fine line between publishing a post that will get people talking and one that could hurt your brand. If it’s too controversial, you may even lose customers, so choose your posts wisely.

4. Misusing hashtags

Social media users have become too hashtag-happy since the beginning of the Twitter era. Everyone think they need to include numerous hashtags with every post, but using too many could hinder your social media results. The main reason behind using them is to become easily found, join in on conversations, and promote brands among a target demographic. By using only one or two you will avoid overwhelming your audience with an abundance of extra hashtags , while also putting more emphasis on your post or picture.

5. Lack of pictures on Facebook

Pictures have been proven to get better results than text or links alone. The reason? It offers a visual description of the content that will give your audience a better understanding of what you are trying to say. According to Zabisco , 40 percent of the population respond better to visual information than they do to plain text.

6. Buying your followers

You have most likely seen those ads that promise thousands of Twitter or Facebook followers for a small price. Before shelling out the money, know that these fake followers could severely damage your social media results. The whole point behind social media is to become more engaged and interactive with your audience, which is something fake fans and followers will not do. If Facebook finds out that you paid for fans, you also risk having your account closed. Instead, spend your time searching for quality fans and followers who will be interested in what you have to say.

7. Constantly promoting your products

We get it, you have a product to sell and you want the whole world to know about it. Before sending post after post of sales or products your company offers, think about content and topics that will be of use to your audience. For example, is there a trend in your industry that would make for an interesting read? Just remember the 80/20 rule when posting to your social media accounts – 80% of posts should be relevant, interesting content and no more than 20% should be used to promote your products.

8. Trying to do it all

Just because there is a new social media website does not mean that you have to join it. Spending quality time on 2 to 3 social media websites will get better results than spreading yourself too thin among 10 or 20 small social media sites. Think about the sites that your audience uses the most and spend your time on those ones.

9. Not managing your social media team

Even if your social media management team have years of experience, it is important you also stay involved in order to know exactly what is being posted and when. Remember that this team is the face of your company online, so what they post could drastically impact your business’s reputation. Stay as involved in the creation of social media campaigns as possible.

10. Not having a clear marketing message

All too often companies will publish content to their social media pages without having a consistent voice or message. Posting images and content with a similar theme, having a consistent voice among all social media profiles, and having a posting schedule will help get your brand in  front of your audience and will create a memorable campaign.

11. No descriptions on Pinterest boards

If you have not joined Pinterest yet, you’re missing out on a huge marketing potential. However, if you’re creating boards and Pins without a description, you could risk not getting found online without properly optimizing the page. Pinterest acts as a search engine and allows users to type in what they are looking for. By having a description, your pins will easily be seen by anyone in search of similar information or products.