More than 4.9 billion people use social media worldwide. That’s more than half of the world’s population. If you’re a firm owner looking to expand your reach, it doesn’t get any better than social media.
But building a social presence can feel like a daunting task. Many people get started and then stop when they don’t see the results they want.
The truth is that building a brand on social media is both an art and a science. It’s a skill that takes time to perfect. To help you on your journey, I want to share five mistakes you should avoid when building your social media presence.
These are the mistakes that can set you back and discourage you from staying on track.
1. Putting an Inexperienced Driver at the Helm
One of the biggest mistakes people make when building their social media presence is putting an inexperienced person in charge.
You wouldn’t allow an unlicensed driver to drive your car, right? Apart from it being illegal, it’s also really risky. They don’t know how to operate a car or the rules of the road.
The same can be said for social media management.
Putting an inexperienced “driver” at the helm of your social media presence can be a recipe for disaster, especially if you don’t provide any guidance or training.
Social media management is a skill set, and it takes some time to develop. But far too often, I see firms putting interns or admins in charge of social media without any training.
Don’t make this same mistake! If you’re going to put someone in charge of social media, make sure that you’re:
- Providing them with resources and training to help them succeed
- Appointing someone to provide them with great content ideas
2. Letting Fear of Judgment Cloud Your Creativity
Social networks provide us with platforms to voice our unique opinions and ideas. But many of us allow our fear of judgment to cloud our creativity and stop us from being authentic.
Many people are scared of being judged by their colleagues, clients and friends. They don’t want to rock the boat or draw negative attention, so they take a very vanilla approach to social media.
- They brand their firm instead of themselves as a leader
- They only create posts that talk about their services and company
- They blindly follow social media trends to try and stay relevant
Your firm is important, and the work you do is also important. But your colleagues and potential clients want to get to know you.
You’re unique. You have your own ideas, opinions and perspectives. Why not share them?
Don’t let your fear of judgment keep you in your shell.
- Share your unique point of view
- Give your hot takes
- Talk about issues from a different angle or perspective
Give people a reason to start following you on social media and to stay engaged with your content. Taking a cookie-cutter approach won’t cut it.
In fact, 88% of people say that authenticity is a key factor in deciding which brands to support, so this gives you even more incentive to be your true self on social media.
3. Not Being Social
Social media is all about being social, right? Many people overlook this critical aspect of building a social media presence, and it stops their progress dead in its tracks.
To build a following and improve engagement, you have to be engaging.
But many firms just post on their social accounts in a set-it-and-forget-it kind of way. When their socials become robotic, they lose their following and all of the leads that came with it.
To avoid this mistake, you have to not only post regularly but also:
- Engage with your followers
- Spark conversations
- Respond to comments
- Forge new connections
- Get to know your followers by asking them questions
Be social, and you’ll find that it’s much easier to build a following.
Remember that all of this hard work will pay off in the long run because you’re building valuable relationships with potential clients and contacts. You’re also giving yourself an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise each time you answer a question, provide helpful insights or respond to comments with useful information.
Over time, you’ll be viewed as an authority in the field and build trust with potential clients and potential talent.
4. Not Choosing a Niche
If you’re a firm owner trying to build a social media presence, the last thing you want to do is exclude people, right? It’s natural to want to cast your net as wide as possible, but in doing so, you wind up not attracting anyone.
When you try to be everything all at once, your efforts fall flat.
Choosing a niche can help you attract your ideal clients and build a strong following. And you don’t have to let go of existing clients who aren’t in your niche.
It’s perfectly fine to have a marketing niche.
But you need to be specific here. Niches are not:
- Entrepreneurs
- Small business owners
- Service-based businesses
Who specifically in these categories do you want to appeal to? Use your own profession as an example. You’re an accountant. Which of these headlines is more appealing to you?
- 3 Ways Service-Based Businesses Can Boose Their Income
- 3 Ways Accountants Can Boose Their Income
I’m willing to bet that you’d pick number two. Why? Because it’s more relevant to you personally.
Choosing a niche will allow you to create more engaging content that’s relevant and valuable to your ideal clients.
Avoid These Mistakes at All Costs
Building a social media presence takes time, but it’s well worth the effort because you’re also fostering relationships and trust right from the start.
But to ensure your journey is a success, don’t let fear get in the way of you being your true self. Engage with your followers, and choose a niche. Most importantly, make sure that you provide resources and training to employees or interns who handle your social media accounts.
Avoiding these mistakes will help pave the way for building a strong social media following and positioning yourself as an authority in your field.
Do you want to jumpstart building your social media presence? Schedule an introductory call with us today.
