As a busy real estate professional or other small business owner, you may make a few mistakes here or there in your various marketing activities across multiple channels. Keep reading for eight common mistakes we run into on social media and how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: Not setting social media goals
This is probably the biggest mistake we see, which is why it's listed as number one! Every business should outline their goals for social media before they begin posting. Goals help you shape your content and guide your social media strategy. Need some ideas for social media goals? Check out our recent post on common social media goals and how to achieve them.
Mistake 2: Being too promotional on social media
A good social content plan includes a healthy mix of promotional content, personal content (to humanize your page!), and inspirational content. Being too "salesy" on social media can lead to unfollows. People want to see your product, yes, but there is such a thing as too much! Try diversifying your feeds to achieve a good mix of content for your followers to engage with.
Mistake 3: Overpromising or embellishing listings or properties
You never want to overpromise and underdeliver for your clients! Try to be as real as possible with yourself, your message, and your listings. People want to see what they are actually getting on social media, not an overly embellished or edited version!
Mistake 4: Posting inconsistently on social media
We have said it before and we'll say it again: consistency is key. Whether that means posting twice a week or in a regular cadence every day, just stick to being consistent on social media. Posting less often but regularly is better than having a neglected social media feed! And same goes with multiple social media platforms—if you don't have time to keep them all updated, try just focusing on one "hero" platform for your business and really work to get that one right.
Mistake 5: Deleting negative comments on social media
This will come back to haunt you! We advise never to delete negative comments on social media. Instead, respond in a calm, respectful manner with the goal of resolving the issue at hand. Even if the user continues to respond negatively, do all that you can to keep your response positive and helpful. You may not be able to appease or help everyone, but putting a good effort in will show others who view the comment section that you have their best interests in mind.
Exception: we do recommend deleting any comments that are categorized as spam or hate speech. Those do not belong on social media!
Mistake 6: Neglecting your social media bios
When was the last time you refreshed your social media pages? How about the last time you optimized your profiles for business success?
Read through our optimization guides for each social network below:
Mistake 7: Not analyzing your social media performance
"Analyze and adjust" is our motto. In an effort to create content that is engaging and useful to your followers, you should constantly check in with your social performance and decide how to adjust your strategies to be more effective.
Analyze: Did you meet your goal?
Adjust: Adjust your approach to try and reach your goal the next time around.
Analyze: Did you test different types of content? What performed better?
Adjust: Create more types of content that are successful on your social channels.
Analyze: Did people respond to your CTA?
Adjust: Try a different CTA next time or word your existing one a little differently.
Mistake 8: Forgetting about the social aspect of social media
Social media was built to connect people, but sometimes as a business it's easy to lose sight of the social and community aspects of social media. Don't forget to use social media to share others' posts, engage in other user content, and connect your community.
Armed with this knowledge, you can avoid these social media mistakes in the future!
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