Common Social Media Marketing Mistakes Brands Make

Social media is a really important marketing tool that every brand and retailer needs to be taking advantage of. That said, there are a few social media marketing mistakes that businesses tend to do that annoy consumers. 

Wrong Tone of Voice

There’s no universal tone of voice that every company should adapt. While some companies will benefit from having a formal tone of voice, they shouldn’t take this too far on their social media accounts. Social media is all about interacting and conversing with your customers in real time. It’s a much more casual way of communicating with your customers than email, so the same tone of voice should not apply. If you’re too serious online, it will annoy your customers and it can come across patronising. Your social media accounts are a human element to your brand, so don’t take them too seriously.

Ignoring Complaints

There will come a time in every brands life that they will get complaints of some sort. Social media is a really popular way for customers to vent to, and about, brands. Some companies ignore this type of messaging and only focus on the positive word of mouth, but in a lot of cases this will just add fuel to the fire. If you get a complaint online and you are in the wrong, don’t be afraid to publicly apologise. If it’s very heated, move the conversation to DM’s until you can sort out the problem.

Sales Pitches

One of the main reasons you probably have a social media account is to increase sales in the long run. However, don’t get that confused with turning your accounts into sales machines. Consumers don’t respond well to sales pitches and push selling on social media. Try and add value to their lives with entertaining or interesting content. Of course you can still promote your products, but get creative and do it in a valuable way. Facebook have even limited the reach of posts that they deem too promotional.

Too Computerised

While AI and chat bots are really handy tools in the world of online marketing, they shouldn’t replace human interaction. They can improve social media efficiency when used in conjunction with the marketing team, but if they aren’t getting to the root of the users issues a person will need to step in.

Jumping on Political Band Wagons

While it’s great for brands to get involved in the community and take a stand, it sometimes doesn’t bode well for them to get too political. If it’s relevant to your brand or if you believe something unjust is happening, by all means shout it from the rooftops, but don’t just take a side so you are seen taking a side. If you don’t have a strong opinion about something political, don’t force one just to jump on the band wagon. I’m sure everyone can recall Pepsi’s huge social media marketing mistake with their black lives matter campaign.

Too Many Adverts

While advertisements have become a necessary evil on social media, it’s important to know when enough is enough. If a user is watching a 3-minute video, the chances are they’re not going to sit through two ads. If you are using ads, make sure you’re able to ex out of them or users will just move along. 

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