Social media no-nos
People are consuming media faster than ever. All the YouTube users watch 5 billion videos every day, on Instagram users are leaving more than 4 billion likes a day. Those numbers are showing the pace set by users which social media content makers have to keep up. That’s why it is so common to squeeze in some small or big mistakes. But be aware! The bigger your reach the more likely it is that users will catch it and it may lead to social media crisis. Let’s look at some easy-to-fix mistakes you should avoid on your profile.
Wrong content served to a wrong audience
Problem:Today social media platforms allow us to target a specific audience. The key thing you should look at is age. Millennials are the most active early adopters and have a different point of view on the economy and politics that the Boomers. Of course, tackling topics like a favourite politician or taxation shouldn’t be discussed in your business fanpage but that is not always available, because some companies are based on it. Setting up a heated discussion under your post is good for reach, but keep in mind that it may not be as good for your brand and business…
Solution:Make it right. Take advantage of targeting and select the right audience for every single post!Your profile’s statistics allow you to acknowledge such information. Also – it’s one of the best tools for amazing market research.
Stock photos and videos
Problem:Not every business have enough budget for a professional photoshoot. Everyone knows that people buy mostly with their eyes, that’s why beautiful content is so important. But is it crucial for success? Not necessarily. Remember, that buying stock photos has the disadvantage of showing one photo in many different situations, even in your competitors. Making your own looks like the best option, but also the pricier. Is it?
Solution:Make content by yourself!If you got a phone, decent lightning and you are are not afraid of the camera – you are good to go. That’s how to eliminate the budget problem. How about quality? The more important thing is to make content yours, which means it should show the real side of your business and products. That will buy your’s client’s trust.
Dealing aggressively with hate and negativity
Problem: Not all your post will hit the audience just right. In many situations, the problem with a backlash might be just bad timing, but within minutes you can get dozen negative comments and your post shared through the internet with comments growing like a snowball. Many people try to react with agression and it is natural psychical state – trying to defence. But it only makes it all worse.
Solution: Calm down and try to access the situation.Most common problems leading to social media crisis are: not treating customers individually, lack of common sense, bad targeting or timing, Many big brands have what is called “a War room” which is a special, always free room to occupy it when the crisis hits. But what is most important – 99% of crisises are able to avoid – just listen to the customers and analyse what are they saying. And remember – if you made a mistake – acknowledge it, show a human face. It won’t hurt your brand and may even make it more appealing.
Showing just the product without its users
Problem:Many business owners are proud of their products and they of course should be. But the problem is that in many situations they praise it above the actual users. It comes down to content which shows only the product but not the people using it. Think about that this way – how your clients should know how to use it if it’s now showed? How do they know it brings joy, solve some burning problem?
Solution:Use the human psychology on your advantage! It’s proven by many pieces of research that our eyes automatically travel where they see the face or look where someone else is looking – that how you simply you can emphasise attributes of your product. Also – show people on your graphic! Few tips – let them hold your product in right hand – it makes it important, let them have fun – smile works just like a virus, use rule of thirds – set the most important point of your graphics on ⅔ of the image horizontally and ⅓ vertically.
Those are just a few big no-nos in social media, which you can easily avoid just by listening to customers, being emphatic and using basic psychology on your advantage. It’s easier than it sounds and can save you a lot of money and what most important – a face.
