You don’t need me to tell you there’s a lot going on right now. If looking after the social media channels for your organisation is just one of your many jobs, it’s easy for it to slip down the to-do list. But right now, with all that’s going on, social media is more important than ever. It’s how we’re staying connected and keeping up with everything that’s happening. With that in mind, there are some common social media mistakes to be aware of and hopefully avoid. Here are my top 5:
Not allowing people to tag your brand in Twitter images
It’s simple but this can make a huge difference to your brand, especially if you are still able to sell products or are still working fairly normally. If you’re in lock-down and unable to produce new content from your living room, now’s the time to make the most of user-generated content. Tagging someone in the image often looks neater than putting the handle in the tweet and if you haven’t updated your settings, you’re missing out on some great content for your channel.
Not monitoring conversations
If you’re not monitoring what people are saying about you online you’re either missing out on great opportunities to engage with customers or you’re missing out on potential trouble brewing. With everything going on, trouble is the last thing you want (everyone is making a list of the brands getting it wrong at the moment) and monitoring is key to cutting trouble off before it blows up. At the same time, people are also looking out for brands doing good: use your monitoring to look out for opportunities to share some positivity and help make the internet a nicer place to be.
Not trying something new
There’s no such thing as normal anymore, so why stick to doing things the way you’ve always done it? You have a great opportunity to experiment, take risks and try new things. If you’re not trying something new on social media, there’s a really good chance you’ll be left behind. Every other organisation is having to up their game, pivot and up-skill staff. So what are you doing to stand out?
Not offering something of value
People have a lot going on right now (just like you do I can imagine) so if you want them to engage with your content, give them something different and something of value. Maybe now isn’t the time for the hard sell. Instead, share heartwarming stories or funny jokes, post useful tips and ideas or teach them something new. Look for ways you can distract people for a little while and they’re more likely to stick around your channel for longer. My favourite example of this is the charity Sense who have been sending people sign language lessons via email.
Not making your content accessible
We’re all using social media to connect with others and to stop feeling so alone whilst we’re self-isolating. It’s also where we’re keeping up with the news and discovering vital information from the biggest brands in the country. So it’s disappointing to see so many of them post important customer information in graphic form that isn’t accessible to people with disabilities. To make sure you don’t exclude millions from your content, there are a few things you can do: 1) Use alt-text options on the social media channels, 2) Put the same information in the post (or in a thread if it doesn’t fit into one tweet) or 3) Link to the same information on your website.
Got any other examples of common mistakes that you’ve seen or have any questions? Let me know in the comments below.
Looking for more digital marketing advice for your business or charity? Check out my marketing advice tag to view all blogs on the subject.