3 common social media strategy mistakes

First of all, pat yourself on the back for taking the time to create a social media strategy. You wouldn't believe the number of business owners (and marketers) who rush into posting on social media without figuring out what they want to get out of it.

The most common reason I hear for this is that people think they are too busy to spend time developing a strategy, but that's exactly why they need one.

You are busy. Too busy to waste your valuable time throwing things at a wall to see what sticks, and that's exactly what you'll be doing if you plough ahead without having a social media strategy in place. Your time is valuable, so if you spend it posting on social media, make sure that you're using that time wisely.

When I start working with a new client who isn't getting meaningful results from being on social media, usually they don't have a strategy or if they do, they are making one of the three most common mistakes.

Here's the good news: if you have a strategy and aren't making these mistakes, it could help you get an advantage over your competitors. 

Set your brand up for success on social media by avoiding these common strategy mistakes.

Common social media strategy mistakes

Your social media strategy is fixed and unchanging

Did you create your strategy years ago and haven't changed it since? It's likely your business has moved on, so why hasn't your strategy? An out of date strategy is just a document taking up space on your laptop. If it isn't relevant to your current business goals, then it isn't going to help you achieve them.

Similarly, businesses need to revisit their strategy when there's a significant change in customer behaviour, wider changes in the world (hello 2020), or when emerging trends change the social media landscape, such as the rise of TikTok for example.

The best social media strategies are those that are actionable documents that evolve alongside your business.

It’s siloed from your other marketing channels

One more time for the people in the back: social media is part of your marketing mix. Not separate from it.

I usually see this in large organisations, but honestly, I've seen it happen in SMEs and smaller non-profits as well. Social media is treated as a stand-alone channel, and the team or person managing it is working in isolation. I've even spoken to social media managers in the past who didn't know which of the bigger picture business goals they were working towards.

 Doesn't sound sensible, does it?

Social media can support your wider marketing efforts. It can reinforce messaging, reach your target your audience as they scroll, and much more. 

Taking a multi-channel approach has been found to increase campaign return on interest by 24% (Lead Forensics). My top tip is to start by figuring out which of your business goals can be supported by social media and then use this knowledge to guide your social media strategy. 

This will be particularly useful when you get around to setting strategic social media goals (any good social media strategy worth its salt should contain goals).

Your social media strategy is a daily to-do task list

Yes, a strategy should guide your daily management tasks, but it should be the bigger picture roadmap that you base your to-do list on, not the list itself.

If your strategy becomes too bogged down in the day-to-day work, you won't be able to refer back to it to make sure your efforts are taking you in the right direction or helping move the needle forwards when it comes to achieving overarching business goals.

It's ok to have sections that cover practical elements like posting frequency and approach to hashtags but don't get lost in the granular details. Instead, refer back to your strategy and use it to guide and plan your social media management tasks.

Now you know how to avoid the most common mistakes, I challenge you to grab a cuppa and revisit your social media strategy to check if it's still fit for purpose and has real-world value to your business.

Want a hand? That's where I come in. I help SMEs, large organisations and non-profits use social media to get tangible business benefits. Maybe you simply need an audit or a new strategy, or you want someone to fully manage your profiles? Speak to me about how I can help your business.