11 Mistakes You Can Avoid While Creating A Social Media Post

With businesses taking their ventures online and the number of people using different social media platforms increasing more than ever before, it certainly will not be a mistake to assert that social media has become an integral marketing channel for exposing a business to a large audience and both the consumers and marketers cannot afford to overlook the undeniable power of social media with respect to brand promotion.

With that being said, only embracing social media for marketing your products or services won’t suffice. If you genuinely want to stand out against the competition, you need to make sure that your social media not just works but performs right, leading to better brand recognition, engagement, and ultimately conversions and that’s where the social media posts matter the most. Instead of being just another brand that only delivers the information, your social media posts should be a reflection of your story, values, and consumer-centric approach.

Here’s a list of 11 mistakes that you can avoid to yield the best results from your social media marketing efforts:

1-Too Much Text in Posts:

The human attention span is limited and people prefer content that is quick to process and demands less cognitive energy. This is the reason why social media posts aren’t meant for lengthy paragraphs as people are usually scrolling through the posts and are attracted to the ones that convey the entire idea in a clear and concise way. If you want your post to make an impact and entice people to take a desired action like more clicks or form sign-ups, then you should consider limiting the amount of text in your posts.

2- Multiple Call-to-Actions:

Do you want the audience to visit your website to read that blog or do you want them to make a purchase? These are two different objectives that require different posts and adding them to a single post would confuse the users, make it difficult for them to comprehend the message, and defeat the purpose of the post altogether. To make sure that your post is encouraging enough to drive the audience towards an action, avoid using multiple call-to-actions, and stick to one specific CTA that is most closely connected with the objective that you want to achieve.

3- Boring & Dull Content:

Content is the king and with a crazy influx of information all over the social media, dull and lifeless content would make the users lose interest in your brand and subsequently urge them to unfollow you. The contemporary consumers view brands as an extension of their personalities and therefore, would like to have some value-added content that addresses their concerns, makes them feel heard and cared for, and builds a conversation. Ask yourself this question: Would you rather engage with a brand that leaves scope for exchanging ideas and communication or just monotonously promotes its products? If your answer is the former then you got us right!

4- Using Low-Quality Images & Videos:

This one mistake is likely to cost you a massive decline in the reach and engagement of your posts. Without aesthetically pleasing graphics, you’d easily lose your spot in the digital space. If you want your social media posts to be interactive, you need to consider using high-quality images and videos. After all, why would anyone click a post that is not compelling enough for them to take that action? Thus, by using quality graphics, you can greatly boost your posts open and click-through rate.

5- Going Overboard with Hashtags:

It’s true that social media is powerful enough to make things viral in the blink of an eye. Adding relevant hashtags to your post can definitely serve the purpose and make it easy for your post to appear visible in searches. On the flip side, adding too many hashtags can make your post look spammy, futile, and even distracting. Remember, when it comes to social media: Less is more.

6- Not Tailoring Posts for Each Platform:

Using the same posts across all platforms can do more harm than good to your social media. To reach a large audience and drive maximum engagement, it is essential to understand the intended audience and purpose of each platform and tailor your posts, accordingly. For instance, Instagram is the perfect space for sharing attractive visuals while LinkedIn is great for posting educational content such as blog post and industry-related news.

7- Undermining User-Generated Content:

Trust us when we say this: User-generated content can be a win-win for both you and your fans. It can foster authenticity and enhance your brand’s credibility among the masses which can, in turn, lead to more trust, improved engagement, and increased purchasing decisions. By curating UGC, you can depict how much do you care about customer experience.

8- Poor Grammar & Spelling Mistakes:

Bad grammar and spelling errors can literally kill your credibility and jeopardize your brand’s image in the minds of the consumers and thereby, lead to the loss of prospective customers. To avoid such mistakes, you need to make sure that all of your content undergoes a thorough proof-reading process before you share it on social media.

9- Not Giving Credit to the Actual Source:

Sure, deriving inspiration from somebody else’s work isn’t bad but sharing it as one’s own without giving credit to the actual source specifically in the case of creative work could lead to copyright infringement and legal charges which would not only threaten your brand’s reputation but also be a source of financial setback. If you want to maintain your authenticity in the industry, you need to follow the right practice of giving credit when it is due.

10- Posting Sensitive Content:

Social media might be all fun and games until a piece of sensitive content is spotted and you find yourself amidst the controversy and backlash. To avoid the hassle of explanations and justifications, it is wise to stay away from topics such as celebrity scandals, politics, religion, and other negative and derogatory content such as memes about social issues.

11- Not Optimizing Posts for Ads:

Are you using a perfect balance of images and videos in your posts? Are your creatives leveraging the ideal sizes and resolutions for each social platform? Are your designs not sufficiently tailored for mobile screens? These are the questions that you need to consider in terms of optimizing your posts for ads. After all, what good is a social media post for your brand if it doesn’t help you attain your goals?

Wrapping up, as the social media landscape continues to evolve, the criteria related to the best practices to follow, and the mistakes to avoid for your social media marketing success will also continue to change. However, by keeping the above-mentioned guide in mind, you’re likely to keep your endeavors effective and in line with your business targets.