5 Social Media Marketing Mistakes To Avoid
Who hasn’t heard of the famous Uber Eats? It is reigning in the UK and contributes to almost 29% of the global food delivery market, with over 66 million users. To stay at the top of the realm, UberEats launched a social media campaign called “Uber Don’t Eats.” Considering the market value and previous ads, this campaign was expected to succeed. However, it resulted in being cringe-worthy and is the best example of social media marketing mistakes.
The campaign received numerous backlash on Twitter and among users across the globe. It featured several celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Coolidge, yet failed due to an unclear message and strategy. Though the heart was in the right place, the ad portrayed celebrities eating “non-edible items” like cat litter, aluminum foil, and diapers because they were delivered by Uber “EATS.”
Unlike Uber Eats, Twitter’s “If You Can Dream It, Tweet It” and KFC’s #The UnboringMorning campaign were huge successes. The said notion was claimed to be cringe, and users believed it promoted unhygienic and unhealthy eating habits. What went wrong with Uber Eats, and how Twitter and KFC made their campaigns successful? We are here with all the answers! Move on to find out five social media marketing mistakes you must avoid to prevent your brand from falling under the “worse” campaigns.
5 Social Media Marketing Mistakes You Ought To Avoid in 2023
In 2022, over 85 thousand startups were registered; each sought its brand identity. Everyone is racing to stay ahead, and social media is the ideal place to engage with your audience. However, in the light of making brands visible to the maximum eyes, marketers often fall into the trap of following every trend. This further results in the demise of their brand identity.
Nevertheless, you don’t have to worry just yet; we are here to prevent you from falling into the pitfall of mistakes.
1- Posting Too Much or Too Little
The first mistake that almost every marketer loses to is inconsistency in posting. Generally, the posting schedule could be more consistent; either the posts are too far apart or posted too closely (with just a difference of one to two hours). When quantity surpasses quality, failure is a sure thing. This is what happened with ‘Buffer.’ The firm posted a minimum of four times on Facebook and tweeted 14 times, further resulting in losing quality. Only some content can be good when the post’s number is so high. This is where brands make the worst social media marketing mistakes by choosing quantity over quality.
How To Avoid It?
The first step to avoiding social media marketing mistakes is making a strategy and posting schedule. Make sure that you schedule a maximum of two posts per day. Also, ensure that your targeted audience is the most active and positions according to their activity to gain maximum views, reach, and engagement. Remember, when you post in a strategized schedule, your engagement can boost up to three times.
2- Forgetting The Power of Curated, User-generated Content
One common social media marketing mistake is paying attention to the power of user-generated content. Marketers generally post their curated content and stock to their promotions and services when promoting the brand. However, such posts can’t maintain engagement and relations with the online audience. Not curating other businesses’ content would mean repeatedly marketing to the same audience, which can further bore/annoy them into unfollowing your social handles. However, the common belief goes like “why direct traffic to someone else’s website” doing so would help you generate a newer audience for your brand.
How To Avoid It?
To avoid social media marketing mistakes:
- Acknowledge curated and user-generated content.
- Use your audience’s images or high-quality content and engage with them.
- Collaborate with influencers and brands supporting your business, and analyze your user’s desires.
This way, you unlock new audiences, which can turn into potential leads.
3- Sidelining The Data
Data is the key to success, whether financial or social media engagement. Sidelining or ignoring the data of your social handles is one of the biggest social media marketing mistakes. Social media data is not limited to your posts’ likes and comments. Data includes the activity hours of your audience, what engages them, and what their dislikes are. It also includes studying their behavior and fetching insights on how your post works (number of likes, shares, replies, comments). This data is crucial for curating better social media marketing strategies and posts to boost productivity.
How To Avoid It?
As aforementioned, ignoring the data can be one of the worst social media marketing mistakes; however, some tools are available in the market that can assist with the same. Analyzing data is more accessible thanks to the digitally advanced world, especially for social media content. Today, even Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., have their own “Insights” tool to help you fetch all the necessary data and boost the “right” post.
4- Not Setting Your Goals And KPIs
Speaking of social media marketing mistakes, how can we leave KPIs and goals behind? Generally, when it comes to social media marketing, the prime focus is curating content and posting it. However, in this cycle, setting goals is always untethered. You must select your KPIs and goals before posting and making strategies to compare the results and figure out areas that need more attention.
How To Avoid It?
Reach, customer loyalty, conversion rate, engagement rate, and website visits are the critical KPIs of social media marketing. If you wish to steer clear of common social media marketing mistakes, you must set your goals and KPIs before you post any content. Set your target, analyze if your content has the caliber to reach the same, and figure out what needs to be added. This way, you can quickly improve your strategies and plans.
5- Failing In Conversation, Relying On Automated Replied & Neglecting Mentions
Another one of the social media marketing mistakes that brands make is not maintaining a conversation with their audience. Brands usually ignore the messages, mentions, and story replies or leave at the read. This leads to poor engagement, and the audience loses interest in your brand. According to a report by Sprout Social, brands ignore 89% of conversations. The same report also claims that 70% of people are prone to using a brand’s service/products if the brand entertains their questions/queries, and 75% of the consumers promote your business on their profile, resulting in “mentions.” Ignoring such engagement opportunities can result in the downfall of your brand.
How To Avoid It?
If you wish to avoid such social media marketing mistakes, the easiest way is to engage with your audience; reply to their question in the comment section of messages or respond to their story replies, and show your gratitude on mentions.
These were some common social media marketing mistakes and a few ways to avoid them. However, if you want to avoid all the trouble, Orion Labs is your ideal solution. Based in Mumbai, we are a leading digital marketing agency. We take pride in delivering 100% customer satisfaction with our wide range of social media marketing services, web design & development, SEO services, PPC services, and much more. So, what are you still waiting for? Book our services and give your brand a competitive edge!
