Most of us, unwittingly, make social media content mistakes on a regular basis. Even the best, most informative, social media posts can receive a black mark from the algorithm robots (“bots”). And believe me, getting on the wrong side of the social media algorithm is not where you want to be!
It’s good to know what the sophisticated algorithm bots are looking for when it comes to social media posts and their content. It’s also good to know that you can’t trick them either. They see EVERYTHING!
Stop making these social media marketing mistakes!
Here are four common social media content mistakes for you to avoid.
1. Don’t tag people into a post purely to encourage a reaction from them.
Right in at number one! Of all the social media mistakes, this one is so easy to avoid.
I bet you too have been tagged into a post which just isn’t relevant to you or your business. This happens to me a lot – it’s really annoying! The reason people do this is to encourage a reaction from you in the form of a like or a comment. Even if the comment is along the lines of, ‘did you mean to tag me into this post?’, the algorithm robots will class it as engagement and the post will experience an increase in reach.
But it’s a risky strategy. If the person tagged in doesn’t interact with the post, the algorithm bots will presume that the post is spam or simply not worthy of a reaction. As a result the post won’t reach many people.
But don’t let that put you off tagging people in. If you know the post will interest someone, or actually features them in some way, then feel free to tag them. They’ll really appreciate it!
2. Don’t post the same content over and over again.
The algorithm bots (yes, them again!) read every post. They consider repetition to be lazy, and as their key objective is to promote a great social media platform that offers exciting, entertaining and informative posts, they’ll not reward the repeated posts with much reach.
So, let’s say you have an event coming up, I understand that it’s simpler to just use the same image and text to keep promoting it, but spending a little time adjusting the text and using a different image will serve you well.
3. Don’t forget the hashtags in your social media posts!
Hashtags rule when it comes to Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. But don’t forget to use them on LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook too as, if people search for that hashtag you’ll pop up, if you don’t use them you won’t! Hashtags increase the visibility of your social media post through the search function.
Research has shown that:
- Tweets with hashtags receive twice as much engagement as those that don’t include hashtags.
- Even if you only use one hashtag with an Instagram post you’re likely to receive a 12.6% higher engagement than if you hadn’t used it.
- Tweets with hashtags are 55% more likely to receive a retweet.
Oh, and as you know it’s my job to keep up to date with the algorithms and to share the most up to date social media content tips. Here’s a new one for 2022! In Instagram, posts with 5 to 15 hashtags perform better than posts with fewer than 5 or more than 15.
And make sure that the hashtags you use are relevant, don’t have any negative connotations, and not too general. It’s good practice to do a spot of research and get your hashtag strategy right; eliminating the most common social media marketing mistakes will definitely get you ahead!
For more hashtag tips on Facebook check out this blog
4.Don’t fall down the trap of speaking too corporate or too formal!
To be professional on social media doesn’t mean that your content has to lack your own personality. Far from it! Informal posts always land better with the reader as they’re more personable and come across as genuine and relatable.
Posts that are a bit ‘stiff’ and full of acronyms that no-one understands aren’t clever, they’re bland and they won’t resonate with your potential customers.
One of the most useful social media content writing tips is to write a post as if you’re talking to someone, this technique will stop people from scrolling. There’s lots you can ‘talk’ about too: what’s going on behind the scenes, what awards you’re up for, where you’ve been, who you’ve met and more besides. Not every post has to be about your product or service.
You can find loads of content tips here.
Gill Bishop from CherryAid Marketing recently attended one of my LinkedIn workshops and has been taking on board all the social media tips that she learned! She recently sent me a message to say that one of her latest posts had reached over 28,000 people, she has less than 500 connections and her highest ever post had reached 2000, until now! And I can see why too – it’s pitched perfectly. Here it is:
In an informal way she’s told people about her new qualification and that she’s a hard worker, committed to her career. She’s also demonstrated how approachable and friendly she is. This is such a great example of a post that has avoided the common social media post mistakes – well done Jill!
What’s coming up?
If you’ve enjoyed this blog, then you’ll love the online LinkedIn workshops I run throughout the year. They’re aimed at business owners and their employees who will benefit from developing their LinkedIn profiles to encourage engagement, and attract new customers.
Or, if you can’t make this one, but you’re still keen to learn lots more social media content tips and tricks and to discover how to effectively advertise through the largest social media platforms, take a look at all of my upcoming workshops. View them all here.
Bye for now,
Becs
