So you’ve created your social media accounts – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter – but now what? No one is liking your page. You aren’t getting reviews. Where is your audience?
They won’t just magically appear. You have to go find them. You have to engage them. It is called SOCIAL media, you guys, so get social.
Here are 6 social media mistakes small businesses make that I see on a daily basis:
- There isn’t enough information. Fill out the entire profile/page. If there’s an empty field, fill it. About section, hours, link to website, company mission – fill it all in. Consumers are visiting your social media to learn more about you, so give them everything they would want to know. When given the choice between a company that has a completed profile and one that just has a name and a logo, people will generally choose the one that has more completed information because it shows that they care about their brand. They’re more reputable.
- The logo or cover image is cut off. Proper image sizing is so important. You look unprofessional when your logo doesn’t fit in the circle or the messaging in your cover photo is cut off on mobile. You can find most of the sizes you need here, but a quick Google search can tell you what size to make your images as well. Even then, it may take some trial and error. It took me three attempts to get my logo right on Facebook, and I do this for a living.
- The company has abandoned ship. They haven’t posted in years or maybe they only post once a month – and it’s something sales related. Social media is the best free tool you have to communicate with your audience. USE IT. It doesn’t all have to be about your product or your latest promotion, and, in fact, it shouldn’t be. Post news articles your customers care about. Share accomplishments. Post photos of your company cookout. This is the best place for people to learn about your company on a more personal level, and you get to control the messaging.
- There are unanswered comments and reviews. Again, you should be engaging with your audience. If people comment, always like the comment and respond to it. If you get a review – good or bad – thank them and offer additional feedback. Engagement not only increases your brand’s trust factor and builds clout with potential customers, it also increases your social SEO. It helps your posts get seen by more people and improves your Google ranking.
- There are multiple company pages on a platform. Jessica, your marketing person 7 years ago, made a Facebook page. No one knows how to access it, so, oh well, let’s just make a new one. Wrong. Don’t do this. Having multiple accounts is confusing for consumers, and Google might think your spammy. There are ways to gain access to these older, unmanaged pages, and if you don’t know how, just ask me. I’ll help.
- Not claiming and updating their Google My Business listing. This one is most important. Most people are going to find your business on Google in some way, shape or form. Whether searching for a service or product or looking you up directly to learn more about your business, you’re going to get Googled. By claiming your listing, you can control what information they find, add your logo and other photos, and even post updates like you would on other social media. Don’t make potential customers go into detective mode to learn more about you.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t. I always say it’s better to master one platform, and then move onto the next. And while it’s better to have a presence on all platforms, it isn’t totally necessary if it doesn’t fit your brand or your time commitment. You have to create a social media strategy that works for you and your business.
If you need help with that strategy, then let’s chat. I want to help your business grow, and social media is the cheapest, easiest way to reach your target audience.