Do’s & Don’t in Social Media Marketing

Social media is one of the most versatile and effective marketing tools today. We use social media to drive our branding efforts, engage with customers, generate new leads, gain insights into buying habits, manage our reputation, and strengthen our digital footprint. But while social media is an essential part of modern business, many companies are still not leveraging the full potential of their digital initiatives.

Social media marketing is essential for any business today. Without an online presence, you are already at a disadvantage.

For many companies, determining the appropriate social strategy can be difficult. There's a lot of advice out there, and some of it seems contradictory. Remember, finding the right balance is important when it comes to social media marketing.

Because social media is constantly evolving, it can be difficult to stay up-to-date on etiquette and best practices for these platforms, especially if you're an infrequent user. Each social media platform has different nuances that act as unwritten rules of usage. If you violate any of these rules, you risk appearing unprofessional and leaving a negative impression on your audience.

To show you what we mean, we've put together a list of do's and don'ts to help you create your own social media strategy:

DO:

Create a strategy that fits your goals

Every social media marketing campaign should start with clearly defined goals and a plan to help you achieve them. For your plan to be successful, it must be as specific as possible. Of course, your perfect strategy is not a copy of other brands' goals. So, when building your social media strategy, set realistic goals that will impact your business in a positive way.

DON’T:

Copy what your competitors are doing

As the title suggests, don’t copy what your competitors are doing. You see it works, but it’s not going to work for you. You are different, your brand is different, your products and services are different, your audience is different, and your marketing strategy should reflect that. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t inspire yourself from your competitors. It’s all about taking small pieces and shaping them into your own unique strategy that fits your business goals.

DO:

Add a personal touch to your brand

You want to establish a clear brand voice on social platforms. Viewers want to interact with humans, not robots. So, make sure they understand that there's a human behind the keyboard, and that human aligns with your brand's values.

DON’T:

Forget to keep it professional

When trying to show off your personality, be careful not to overdo it and avoid losing your professionalism. It’s one thing to maybe add a meme once in a while, or poke fun at a celebrity PR relationship, or maybe add a funny trend to match your brand. But, it’s one thing to forget about your brand’s values & goals and transform your social media into a private group chat. Balance is key in everything, and especially in social media ;)

DO:

Have a posting schedule

Find the right posting schedule for your brand and stick to it. It’s important to be active on social media to build trust and relationships with your audience. Relationships that ideally will turn into satisfied and loyal customers. Take the time to learn the platforms and what works for your brand.

DON’T:

Post, ghost & hope for the best

Everything you share on social media has a purpose. You post to reach more people. You share valuable content to stay relevant and attract new customers. You stay active on social media because your target audience is highly active on social media. So, don’t just post once in a while, don’t ever stay active on the platforms and then act mad when the content does not perform the way you want it to. You can be active on social media 10 minutes a day, and in those 10 minutes, the platforms are going to reward you.

Your posts will get pushed to more people, the more you engage with other accounts, the more discoverable you’ll be. But, we know you’re busy and this is not on the top of your to-do list. And it’s fine. This is why we’re here to help you, all you have to do is give us a call. Or leave a bat signal in the sky & we’ll take it from there. Until then, we’ll make it simple and just leave you a meeting link to book ;)

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DO:

Complete your copy with action-driven CTAs

CTAs are always important in marketing. Don't be afraid to ask your audience anything. There are many ways to use CTAs to engage your audience, such as a simple "Buy from the link in the description," ask a question, or "Learn more."

DON’T:

Be a sucker for attention

Don't ask your audience for something every time you post something. How would you feel if someone were in your DMs all day every day asking you for something? Or better yet, imagine this: you’re working on an important business plan and someone’s constantly bombarding you with stuff to do and tasks to complete. Not cool, right? Well, this is your sign to be cool and not beg for attention (not all the time at least).

DO:

Create and follow a hashtag strategy

You need them to boost your content to the top of the explore page and also reach more potential customers. So, find the ones that match with your brand, business, products & services. Use location-based hashtags, be more SEO-oriented with them, and don’t forget to keep the hashtags under 1M hits. That’s the secret sauce of a hashtag strategy - but, more on that later in a different blog article.

DON’T:

Abuse the hashtags

Kind of paradoxal, no? But, really, don’t abuse the hashtags. If you’re sticking to what we’ve said above, you’ll be just fine. If not, you can always ask the help of professionals. You’re a business owner, you can’t be thinking of hashtags too.

Social media can be a fun and social place (if you stick to the rules). But, as long as you follow these simple do’s, you’ll manage just fine. But, if you want the magic to happen, that’s where we can come in. Hi, we’re Social Media Boutique and we’re excited to take your social media game to the next level. Are you ready for that?

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