Newsflash: Social media is no longer new.
And with 2015 well upon us, here’s what NOT to-do when it comes to social media this year.
Your 2015 Social Media NOT to-do list
1. Don’t try to be everywhere
Are you struggling to keep all of your social media accounts humming?
Rather than trying to be on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Linkedin (Phew!), why not cut yourself a break this year?
Social media is maturing, and now (more than ever) it’s about doing 1 or 2 platforms well, rather than an average job on every platform under the sun.
Got a social media channel you need to cull? Here’s my advice for abandoning your social media account.
2. Don’t focus on Likes alone
It’s time to stop high-fiving your co-workers when you hit a new milestone in terms of followers or likes.
Whilst focusing on Likes might make you feel good, the reality is that this figure is a vanity metric that can have little relevance in terms of the success of your social media effort – especially when some platforms (I’m looking at you Facebook!) are showing less and less of your content to your fans.
So instead of focusing on Likes, focus on:
- Reach (how many people have seen your post) and
- Engagement (how many people have interacted with your post)
- Action (how many people entered your competition or purchased your product)
3. Don’t post multiple updates in quick succession
If you’ve been neglecting your page then it’s very tempting to post multiple updates in quick succession.
But don’t do it! Because…
- It’s annoying for your fans/followers
- It can cannibalise the success of each individual post
So instead of posting multiple updates at once, get scheduling.
- Facebook (I use the built in scheduling tool)
- Instagram (I use Schedugram)
- Twitter (I’ve heard Buffer is good)
Note: I don’t believe you can schedule on Linkedin, Pinterest or Snapchat – but I’m happy to be corrected. 🙂
4. Don’t treat social media as a direct sales channel
If social media were purely a sales channel it would be called sales media.
So, instead of ramming sales messages down your followers throats, follow the 80/20 rule, where 80% of your posts are entertaining/engaging, with 20% focused on sales or your call-to-action.
This is especially relevant on Facebook where it’s becoming harder to get noticed.
Like this article? You might like 5 mistakes for Facebook newbies to avoid.
Have I missed anything? Get in touch or leave a comment below.
