7 social media mistakes you should avoid at all costs!

Making mistakes is human and important because, as we all know, you learn from them. However, many mistakes can be avoided before they even occur. Social media mistakes, for example, when using Facebook, Instagram & Co. can annoy your customers and harm your company. Often, just a few small tips can help you avoid putting your foot in your mouth and approach certain things correctly. Find out which traps lurk in social media marketing and how you can best avoid common social media mistakes in the following blog post.

Social media mistakes #1: Using a personal profile instead of a Facebook company page

This is a faux pas that has been around for a very long time, but unfortunately still happens time and time again. Especially for large companies with serious marketing interests, many disadvantages can be expected from such a social media mistake.

The use of a private account as a “company profile” is often observed in smaller companies and social media beginners. Here, a private profile is created in the name of the company instead of setting up a Facebook company page. A decision that has some negative consequences in the long run! Among other things, no adjustments can be made to the layout of a private profile, while a company page allows you to choose between different templates. This allows you as a company to highlight special services or your own products, for example.

Furthermore, with a Facebook company page, compared to a profile, you receive statistics and insights about the personas who follow your page. These include demographic characteristics such as age, gender, place of residence, as well as marital status and hobbies.

The biggest advantage that only a business page has to offer is creating and running Facebook ads. With their help, your business can expand its customer base, increase sales or simply reach a larger target audience. So, you should avoid this social media mistake and rather open up whole new opportunities for your business with the help of a professional Facebook business page.

We’ll show you how to create and manage your own Facebook business page in just a few steps.

Social media mistakes #2: Underestimating the power of social media

Social media is no longer just used to network with acquaintances, friends and family, or to pass the time with shared posts. For many companies, social media is a great way to achieve or even exceed their own business goals.

However, if you want to be successful here, you should invest enough time and effort in creating and maintaining the channels. Platforms that offer great potential for companies must also be worked on accordingly so that they are visible and attractive to the desired target group. In addition, many well-known platforms have now developed into professional marketing tools that require the appropriate know-how in online marketing. Therefore, in the best case, the tasks should be taken over by a qualified professional. Otherwise, professional advice is recommended for you and your employees to master the start into social media marketing.

Social media mistakes #3: Ignoring the special features of the social media channels

There are now many different social networks, all of which bring their own special features. Users also differ on the platforms. Therefore, it is important to take a closer look at Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest and Co. and get an idea of the social media channels.

For example, hashtags are frequently used on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, but tend to cause confusion on Facebook or platforms such as XING and LinkedIn. There are also differences in the length of posts on Facebook and Instagram. On Twitter, many tweets can be uploaded one after the other, while on Facebook or Instagram, this is anything but reputable and a common social media mistake. LinkedIn is also often described as “Facebook in more formal”, whereas XING is often associated with a stiff platform.

These few examples alone show how differently each social media network functions. Therefore, it is important to always present content in a channel-specific way and not post content identically on all platforms for the sake of simplicity.

Looking for the right platform for your target audience?
Learn which audience you can reach with which social media platform.

Social media mistakes #4: Not following trends

Harlem Shake, Icebucket Challenge, Unicorns – these are just a few trends of the past that have lost relevance today but were extremely hyped at the time. The world of social media is more fast-paced than almost any other. Almost daily we are confronted with new features and user interfaces from Instagram, TikTok and Co. Users want to be entertained by exciting content and engage emotionally with the content.

That’s exactly why it’s more important than ever these days to create varied content to reach your target audience on the relevant platforms. So, you should be open to trends and test new possibilities early on in order to surf along on the wave of success of the hype. Don’t be afraid to try new things, because as the saying goes – if you don’t move with the times, you move with the times.

Learn more about social media trends and how you can leverage them for your business in another blog post.

Social media mistakes #5: Not using two-factor authentication

Suppose you had locked all of your assets in a safe that could only be opened with a single key, and that key was in your possession. Would you multiply that key infinitely and randomly send it to strangers via letter with your address? Probably not. That key to your valuable private data is two-factor authentication. This essentially means that you log into your account not only with your credentials, but by confirming them with another, second medium (such as a code).

Not only Facebook and Instagram, but also many other services offer this security method to protect user accounts from unauthorized access and prevent data theft. We therefore recommend using this option in any case. Once the access data has been read by phishing, the perpetrators can cause considerable damage to your account. Verification is basically very simple and quick to implement. You can find this option in most apps and programs under “Settings” or “Privacy and Security.”

Learn what to look out for in terms of privacy when it comes to social media marketing in another blog post!

Social media mistakes #6: Providing Fake Accounts with Admin Rights

“Our Facebook account has been suspended, what should we do now?” Such questions are not uncommon. Companies often create Facebook accounts with a fantasy name, such as “Mira Bellenbaum,” and manage their business through it. It is a serious social media mistake to create a profile with a fantasy identity and use it for promotional activities, as well as giving it admin privileges. Often employees don´t want to link their private profiles would rather use a generic company login.

With such a false identity, however, one not only violates the applicable Facebook terms and conditions, but also risks a blocking of the profile and the associated advertising accounts. It therefore makes much more sense to link a company’s employees to the business manager. This allows different permissions to be assigned to pages and advertising accounts, and payment administrators and analysts to be designated. The invitation to the business manager can be sent to the employees’ company email address and the profile is then only used for verification. Assigning permissions wisely and using two-factor authentication not only helps your team coordinate better, but also takes your corporate account security to the next level.

Social media mistake #7: Communicating incorrectly with your target audience

Of course, to become successful on social media, you can’t forget about proper communication with your target audience. Here you should definitely, respond to comments. After all, they are the greatest gift that users can give us. If a person takes time to write a comment under your post, then that is worth a response. Moreover, this response should be timely. In social networks, everything happens very quickly. Accordingly, the expectations of users are correspondingly high. So you should try to respond to a comment or message within the next few hours.

A fatal social media mistake is also to simply ignore or delete criticism from your followers. No one wants to get bad reviews or even a shitstorm, however, a company should face critical comments and respond to them confidently or with a little humor. However, if a commentator becomes personally insulting or spreads lies, you should of course not let this stand. In this case, however, you should always ensure a polite and objective tone. In written language, body language signals such as a smile or a wink are missing, which is why misunderstandings can often occur. To avoid these, therefore, check several times that your response is appropriate and understandable.

Do you need a communication strategy?
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Avoid social media mistakes

There are many things that can be done wrong when using social media. Therefore, as a company, it is even more important to deal with the topic intensively in order to avoid the aforementioned mistakes. In addition, you need a well-thought-out social media strategy to market your business properly. Such a task is difficult to do on the side, because it is both time-consuming and requires a certain know-how. Using qualified professionals or professional assistance is therefore highly recommended. If you take these tips into account, nothing will stand in the way of success on social media.