Social media can be a quick and effective way to build your brand. However many business often resort to using naughty social media behaviours that quickly destroy their branding efforts.
The key to taking full advantage of social media is to create and publish valuable content. Just like other business communications, such as emails and newsletters, it is critical you accurately reflect and represent your brand through your social media content.
Here are just a few annoying social media behaviours you should avoid.
Capital letters
When used correctly and sparingly, capital letters can enrich a post. However capitalising everything will make it harder for your audience to read. They are likely to skip over your post in favour of a competitor or more entertaining content.
Therefore it is best practice to avoid using all capital letters so you do not come across as if you are shouting, being pushy and spam.
Hashtags
While hashtags can enhance your brand, overuse or inappropriately leveraging trending hashtags for promotional use can cause backlash from your audience.
For instance, an American car insurance company used the tragic death of actor Paul Walker as an opportunity to promote their website through the use of hashtags. They targeted news organisations and celebrities’ online conversations about Paul Walker’s passing by tweeting, “The real question on everybody’s mind is – does he have care insurance?”.
Follow-grabbing
If you are struggling to gain followers on your social media channels don’t waste your time spamming people by asking them to follow you. This tactic often does not work and can project desperation.
Instead try optimising your content to provide more value and entertainment to your audience. You may even consider using paid tools to grow your follower list quicker.
Mechanical thanking
Try to avoid using automated messages to robotically and mindlessly thank people who follow or mention you. This can often make people feel like you are talking at them and can lead to people unfollowing you.
For a more genuine impression thank a person via a private inbox using their name and a customised message.
Tunnel vision
When publishing content it is important to resist being overly promotional. A good rule of thumb is the 90/10 rule by Jack Humphrey.
Ninety percent of the content you publish should consist of insights, tips, thoughts and other links your target audience find interesting, while the remaining ten percent can be promotional. This distribution ratio of content will ultimately result in the ten percent of your promotional content gaining more attention.
So try to avoid these common social media mistakes so you stay off Santa’s naughty list this year and your followers will also appreciate it!
Sydney Social Media Agency, CP Communications provides specialist social media strategies as well as traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more information see www.cpcommunications.com.au.
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- 5 ‘tricks’ to handle negative comments on social media this Halloween
- Questions to ask before hiring a social media agency
- How to create a social media policy for your business
Download our FREE Guide to Social Media Success and learn how to get ahead of your competitors and build your business using social media.
Sydney Social Media and Public Relations Agency, CP Communications blends cutting edge offline and online PR and social media to help you gain a competitive advantage. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au.
