Even with all the information out there in support of social media for businesses, many are still convinced it isn’t worth their time or energy. They’re wrong, and if you’re not participating in social media, then so are you! Here are some major social media mistakes you’re making:

Opting Out 

We are in the 21st CENTURY people. If you’re still fighting the good fight against SoMe, well, it’s time to admit the battle is over. Get off that little, lonely island and join the world. Did you know that nearly two-thirds of those who use social media to find information or share feedback about brands have purchased a product based on social media content? You can’t afford to ignore 67% of your audience.

I suggest what are known as the “big three” in social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin, but it all depends on the business. Think about where your target audience is, and then decide what platforms you should choose. If you are a boutique, wedding venue, or restaurant, you should consider platforms that you can post images and videos on like Instagram or Facebook. Most B2B companies are taking Linkedin seriously. LinkedIn reigns supreme over the pack, with over 90% of B2B marketing professionals distributing content on their site. You have the ability to show off your products with their new showcase page option, which helps your audience connect with your products or services.

Failing to Showcase Your Brand

Social media creates an easy way to improve brand awareness, and build your brand’s identity. You can establish your brand’s personality and give your business a human voice that people can relate to – this is achieved by first internally establishing both an esthetic brand, and your brand messaging.

This is going to build trust in your organization! It’s been proven that 59% of respondents are more likely to trust brands that integrate social media because they feel personally connected to it. Connecting on an emotional level, or showing some personality are both effective ways of building trust in your brand.

You’re Not Updating Enough

One of the biggest mistakes that social media marketers make is not updating their accounts on a regular basis. If your followers see that your account has been inactive for a few days – or worse –months, they are going to fall out of the habit of checking in with your business.

Experts present differing opinions on how often you should post, and it really depends on what content you are sharing with them. If you are showing off your company culture by adding pictures from the team lunch, then add a couple of those. However, if you are posting blog posts, titles, sales pitches, new products, or anything that isn’t highly visual or engaging, then limit it to 2-3 times per week.

Caution: If you are only providing boring sales-y content, be prepared to lose your followers fast. Come up with new interesting content that will engage your users. Ask yourself, “Would I click on this?” Make it useful, educational and interesting or pass on posting.

[Tweet “If you’re only posting boring sales-y content to #SoMe, be prepared to lose followers!”]

Neglecting to Invest in Digital Advertising

Let’s say you have started a Facebook page and you are excited to start sharing your visually appealing pictures, interesting statistics, and the recent comic that had you laughing, but you don’t have a large enough following to get any engagement, and it really bums you out. You are missing the final piece – digital advertising!

Boosting or promoting a post is extremely easy and cheap, especially on Facebook. Facebook ads can take the form of display ads, sponsored stories, promoted posts or sponsored apps. As a company, you can target ads by geography, age, gender, interests, or even job titles and education. Just think about the reach you could obtain with Facebook ads! Facebook has 1.11 billion users, 50% of whom log in at least once a day, with that many users logging in a day B2B marketers are learning how to turn leads into opportunities quick.

“Facebook’s ad platform is a low-cost opportunity for B2B companies to advertise their brand and products.”

Not Asking for Help

If you aren’t tech savvy, or don’t know what the best social platforms, don’t worry! There are people out there that want to help you. Not every company should have 10 different social platforms that they are trying to consistently update, especially when they are doing it themselves. For instance, at Red Branch Media we currently use, Sprout Social, Buffer, Yammer, Dlvr.it and Swayy.

Get out there, find out where your target audience is, create your accounts, update them on a regular basis, spend a little money on advertising, and you will be on your way to being a social media rockstar. If not, reach out to social media experts for help!

45% of B2B marketers have gained a customer through Linkedin. On average B2B marketers who use Twitter will generate twice as many leads as those who don’t.

I would love to hear some reasons why you haven’t taken advantage of social media, and what you would need to begin? Comment below or Tweet me (@erockfoutch).

photo credit: Alex E. Proimos via photopin cc

Maren Hogan

Maren Hogan is CEO of Red Branch and general Bad@$$

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Maren started Red Branch Media and, before she hired all the smiling faces you see below, she ran it on her own. In marketing for over 15 years, she has deep experience in strategic campaigns and a long-term, results-based operational approach.