Digital Review: Common Professional Social Media Mistakes
Getting into social media for business can feel a bit uncomfortable; it requires finding the right balance between professional and personal content, as well as create a strong brand identity. To develop the discipline to maintain a professional and robust digital handshake for your business it takes dedication. There are some essential things to avoid when crafting your content strategy.
Online Inconsistencies:
Maintaining a consistent online presence – across platforms is vital for an optimized online presence. Build your personal brand – keep growing your database and use your social media platform to connect with your sphere of influence. By keeping all your social assets on brand, and easily accessible, it builds certainty that your business is reputable.
Another discipline that is important to maintain is having a quick response time. As your social pages receive interactions through messages, comments, etc. it’s crucial that you respond in a reasonable amount of time. Carve out time in your day to manage your messages, and check your notifications.
If people reach out to you with no response, they will quickly move on to another service professional.
Not Maintaining a Professional Image:
Your brand should have a distinct voice and professional candor. Usually, you will want to rely on your own personality to find your brand’s voice. Keep your messages on the shorter side, and always be friendly and approachable. It’s also important to keep in mind that as a business owner, you have given up privacy. Even on your personal social media account, you should keep your posts respectful and avoid polarizing topics that might alienate your customers. This doesn’t mean that you should post bland content, but instead, just be mindful that your audience can reach beyond your immediate family and close friends.
Lack of a Defined Content Strategy:
Your content should reflect your core values and unique value proposition. By having a clearly defined content strategy, your page will reflect your business and personality. If a potential client visits your page and you haven’t posted in over a year, they may doubt whether or not you are active in your industry. Mapping out your posts will ensure that you avoid gaps and give structure to your messages.
Coming up with content can be challenging, so to spark your creativity, read our article, Rule of Thirds: Strategies for Personal, Engaging Posts, and Promotional Content.
Put some thought and effort into your online presence, and it will pay off over time. The good thing about a social strategy is that you can improve it, and adapt to changes as time moves forward. If you feel like you’ve made some of these mistakes, you can start today at enhancing your overall online image.
To see some other examples, read our article, Three of the Biggest Mistakes Real Estate Pros Make on Social Media, to avoid common mistakes.