Instead of carving pumpkins this Halloween, try carving your social media channels into marketing machines. Transform your mistakes into magic by steering clear of these common social media marketing errors.

1. Identify your ghouls…I mean goals!

First of all, set goals. Of course, you might all have exciting and creative ideas but without a plan, you will fail sooner than you imagined. Try using the SMART philosophy to establish all of your desired goals.

Specific – Have a clear objective in mind. Try not to have vague goals such as ‘more followers’. Set a target and try to reach it.

Measurable – Make sure your goal is measurable and you can identify how close you are to reaching the goal or where you can improve.

Attainable – Your goals have to be achievable. Start small then grow into bigger goals. These small achievements will build enthusiasm and confidence once they are reached.

Relevant – Don’t go off-topic. Make sure every goal you’re trying to reach has a purpose and relates to your goal as a whole. Think of the bigger picture.

Timely – Setting deadlines will put pressure on your goals instead of burying them in the graveyard of things to do.

2. Don’t bite off more than you can chew

It’s so easy to get caught up in new and exciting ideas for your social media but remember, always chose quality over quantity. Depending on your services or product chose 2-3 platforms to dedicate your time and effort to. Focus on high-quality content rather than spamming on each account.

3. Don’t be a Basic Witch

Keep up to date with the latest trends. If you’re really good at what you do why not show it? Carelessly throwing together your social media accounts will only reflect negatively on your business. Do some investigative work to find out what strategies other leading companies are implementing. Right now, Instagram stories are the thing at the moment. They appeal to those of a shorter attention span and towards a younger demographic but remember, what works this year may jeopardise your business next year.

4. Don’t ghost your negative feedback

Negative feedback and damaging comments are all part of the Social Media process. It is rare to find a business that has not received any negative feedback online, and if you are lucky enough to stumble across a company with flawless reviews, well it just seems too good to be true. It is important to show clients that you as a business can face any unwanted criticism. Do not delete any negative feedback. The best approach is to remain helpful and polite and respond with an apology or a solution. Watch and be ready to react.

5. Spooky Spamming

While managing your business’ social media, you must recognise that your social media account is not an advertising channel. It is a chance to engage with your clients and viewers. Lack of conversation with your clients and followers will only lessen your social presence. Spamming online will only lead to your content becoming ignored and concealed amongst the newsfeed.
Many companies do use social media as a virtual banner, but to achieve credible results a social aspect must be included consisting of conversations and engagements.

6. Terrifying tracking and Frightening followers

Although it is essential to be creative on social media, most business’ prioritise creativity above ‘boring’ components like analytics, engagements and conversions. Without these elements, it is impossible to create a successful social media account. Most platforms give metrics or external software can be obtained to measure success such as Buffer Analyse or Hootsuite. Engagements can also be followed by monitoring drops in reactions and quality of followers.

Business owners are generally preoccupied and presume the social media of the company is insignificant compared to other important factors, which is complete Hocus Pocus! Social media can be a reflection of your company’s standard. Try avoiding these haunted mistakes to get you on track to a more effective social media strategy this Halloween.