5 Mistakes in SMM Strategies That Companies Still Make

Social media management (SMM) is a way to sell products and services where people spend their free time: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Through these channels, a brand can quickly spread information about itself, products and services, and communicate directly with consumers.

Promoting your business on social media channels will help boost sales and make you more popular. But only if you do not allow these mistakes in your SMM strategy, which we’ll describe in this article.

1. Detachment of SMM strategy from the overall marketing strategy of the company

Many companies start promoting their business on social networks without forming a clear and understandable marketing goal. They see a channel where they can communicate directly with their target audience, and they direct all their attention to this channel. This SMM is based on the visitation statistics of their social media account, the number of reposts, and the number of likes. But do likes and reposts really increase sales and help grow business?

A company's SMM strategy should initially be linked to the main objectives of the business. Otherwise, you will never be able to calculate the ROI from activity on social networks. If your brand community is active on social media just because it "needs to be", you will not see any benefit. Your SMM strategy needs to be integrated into your brand's overall marketing strategy and aligned with your brand's global campaign goals and objectives.

In general, SMM strategies are needed for companies to gain:

• Brand awareness
• Traffic to the website
• New leads
• Sales
• Consumer engagement
• Community of loyal customers around the brand
• Mentions of the brand in the media
• Feedback from clients

The development of each social channel should be based on a specific strategy and with the calculation of performance indicators that are linked to the main goals and objectives of the business.

2. Limit your SMM strategy to only one social network

If you only have a presence on Facebook, you lose an audience that prefers Instagram and Twitter. Some brands even make video content for Youtube. Don't forget about the emerging app Telegram. According to Backlinko, the secure messenger app reached 550 million monthly active users. 

Nearly 37% of professionals believe that omnichannel and personalized communication can make their selling more efficient. The more social channels you’re on, the more people will be aware of your brand. Plus, you'll generate a lot of traffic to your website. 

3. Limit your SMM strategy to posting the same information on all social media channels

Another common mistake is to post the same content on all of your social media accounts. First, each social network is tailored to its respective audience and format. Instagram posts are captivating visual content with short and succinct captions. Twitter is a simple message format, and Facebook, on the other hand, likes analytical posts with something engaging to read. 

Secondly, duplicating content looks like an imposition, and it's a turn off to users. Even if you want to get one message across all channels, do it with variety.

4. Limit your SMM strategy to the usage of social media only for marketing

Social media is a powerful tool that comes in handy for businesses for more than just sales. For example, Fresh Essays limited its SMM strategy to the usage of social media only for marketing purposes. And this was a great mistake. After they updated their SMM strategy, they found employees by posting stories about open vacancies.

Analysts and marketers can use social media as a platform for research and segmentation of their target audiences. Do you already have subscribers? Great, now get into the habit of studying their profiles: 

• What accounts are they subscribed to? 
• What are they interested in? 
• What other products and services do they buy? 
  

This is valuable information that will help offer your audience content, products, and services that are relevant to their needs. If you have an active and engaged audience, create a survey of customer recommendations and requests.

5. Limit your SMM strategy to advertising

If your social media is filled with company or product ads, no one will subscribe to your account. Would you be interested in communicating with someone who talks only about themselves? This is why the style of presentation on social media shifts the emphasis from "we" to "you", i.e. the consumer.‍

Social media is a powerful tool that comes in handy for businesses for more than just sales. For example, with the help of social media, your HR managers can find employees by running an ad for an open position.‍

Social media content should consist of 40% engaging content, 20% educational content, 30% brand content, and 10% advertising content.

Educational content is information that teaches you how to use your product or service properly. Brand content is content that helps build brand loyalty. Engaging content  motivating you to leave reviews and comments. And advertising is about encouraging consumers to buy.

The content that a company posts on social media should not be spammy, but relevant and insightful to readers. Only then will they read it and give a positive assessment of your brand.

SMM strategy should be implemented by a professional specialist

You shouldn't trust someone to manage your brand's accounts and communities just because they use social media or have read something about SMM. You should not just be present on social networks, but present yourself correctly.‍

Social media management requires a full  understanding of your services, products, business, and editorial strategy. Only an SMM manager will make a competent content plan with engaging content, set up a posting schedule, find a winning approach to reach your audience, generate social media activity, and communicate directly with subscribers.