Growing your business can be tough but it can become a nightmare if you’re doing these Social Media mistakes. And the longer you do them, the more you hurt your business and personal brand.

We all made many mistakes on Social Media. Heck, I made a ton of them and it drove me crazy. I don’t want this to happen to you, that’s why I made this blog post.

Inside you will learn about big Social Media mistakes and how to fix them before it’s too late. Some will be obvious, but others not so much. Read everything from start to finish and take notes.

But before you do that, I want to invite you to our Big Income Paradise community. Inside you will get a ton of Social Media tips and tricks that will help you grow your business, engagement, and sales. I would love to connect with you! See ya there.

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BIG SOCIAL MEDIA MISTAKES

We are going to talk about the 15 biggest Social Media mistakes that most entrepreneurs and business owners are doing daily.

You deserve to know and learn about these mistakes and how to avoid them. So if you’re a pen and paper person (like me), then I suggest you write all the tips and strategies that I will share with you. Ready? Ok, let’s start.

1.) Not having a Social Media strategy:

You probably already know that for every area in business you need a strategy. And the same goes for Social Media. That’s where most business owners fail.

They might learn a strategy, but never write it down. And here’s the thing – we all have different audiences, so if a specific strategy works for someone, it might not work for you.

That’s why it’s important you learn the Social Media strategy, write it down, test it out, and then tweak it. Make it more personal to you, your brand, and your audience.

Social Media Marketing Strategy - By Big Income Paradise

2.) Ignoring your followers:

I see so many people who do this huge mistake. Recently I invested in a mindset course and I joined their Facebook group. Guess what happened there.

People were asking questions, but the owner of the group never responded. She did make some posts but that was all.

Imagine how it feels when people don’t get the answer. No one likes that, and the same goes for your followers. That’s why you should sit down every day and respond to all the comments and messages. Yes, it will take some time, but it will pay off in the long run.

3.) Not being patient:

This is a big mistake that most entrepreneurs and business owners do. Even though we know success won’t happen overnight, we still expect it. That’s because we never practice patience.

You might think that this is not a huge mistake – especially not a Social Media mistake. However, I’ll share with you why it actually is.

Let’s say you learn a new Social Media strategy. Enthusiastically you implement it right away and start expecting it to work the very first week. But at the end of the week, you get disappointed by the bad results.

You might give the strategy another try. Yet you still have no results in the first month. Ugh! That’s frustrating! And then you just say it doesn’t work and move on.

Here’s the thing – you might have a goldmine of a strategy that just needs a bit more time and it would work like magic. But because you’re not patient, you lost a chance to grow your business and you start all over again.

Learn about how to become more patient and practice every day.

Female leader meditating ignoring angry coworkers

4.) No Social Media content goals:

Having content goals will help you know exactly WHAT to write and HOW to write it. Without clear goals, you will just try to wing it.

Your Social Media content won’t make much sense to your followers. And if they will feel confused, they will leave. It’s actually pretty simple to create content goals. Let’s look at the steps you need to take:

  1. Think about what your followers are struggling with most
  2. Before you start writing the content, think about what actions you want your followers to take. Do you want them to buy a product, engage on the post, share it, or subscribe to your email list?
  3. You can have up to 3 goals per content (I usually stick to 1-2). Just make sure ‘selling’ is not always your goal. No one likes a salesy business owner.

5.) Creating salesy Social Media posts:

I’m sure you came across a sleazy, salesy posts at least once by now. Just by checking it out, you know the person only wants to make money. There was no value, no story, no nothing.

That’s a catastrophe for branding! But I’m sure you already know that. So how can you actually create powerful content that will attract super-fans and hungry buyers?

There are some content rules you need to follow. The more obvious ones are planning ahead and having goals. But that won’t be enough. If you don’t want to sound salesy, then create emotional posts that will hook your followers.

Another important step you should take seriously is – know your audience. What are they struggling with? How does it make them feel? The more you know, the better your Social Media posts will be.

Do thorough research. Use Google to find what questions people have about different topics in your niche. You can also check out Facebook groups, Answer The Public website, Quora, your competitor’s Facebook page & blog, and forums.

When you find the questions, use them in your posts. Then craft your story filled with emotions. Talk about your experiences, feelings (bad and good). And always end the post on a positive note.

If you’re still not sure how to create captivating and scroll-stopping content that sells, then grab my Content marketing and storytelling strategies workbook.

get the step-by-step Content Marketing And Storytelling Strategies - By Big Income Paradise

6.) Overthinking is one of the biggest Social Media mistakes:

This mistake can get you in trouble. I speak from my own experience. The problem is when you start overthinking, you are probably going to talk yourself out of whatever you were planning on doing.

Have you ever wanted to do a Facebook live, but got scared? “What will others say?”
“What will they think of me?”
“I’ll probably look stupid…”

You’re not alone – we all overthink. And that is a huge problem because we usually don’t do the Facebook live (or anything else) that will help us grow our business.

Next time you catch yourself doing this, just take a deep breath and do it anyway. It doesn’t matter what others will think or say – it’s about achieving your goals. And the only way you will do that is to consistently take imperfect action.

7.) Focusing on making sales instead on providing value:

I see many business owners who do this mistake. They are always promoting their products but never give any value. Not even a little bit!

I’ll be real with you – you will gain followers and fans for life only if your Social Media content will provide value. Something that will help your audience achieve their goals.

You don’t need to do everything for free. That would be dumb. Find a healthy balance between sharing some funny and engaging posts, value, and promotional content.

Finding a good balance can be challenging. That’s why you need to create a Social Media content calendar. It will help you stay organized and your content will always be mixed up. So you won’t over-promote your product.


12 MONTHS OF SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT PLANNED OUT FOR YOU! - By Big Income Paradise

8.) Not investing in Social Media knowledge:

Yikes! That’s another one of those enormous Social Media mistakes. Without the proper knowledge, you would be running in circles, doing mistakes, and never achieving much. A waste of time, don’t you think?

I’m sure you don’t want to spend hours on Social Media every day just to see little to no results. That’s why you should learn at least once per week.

There are many amazing blogs that offer free Social Media tips. And well, not to brag but you’re on a great blog right now 😉

Spend some time reading the posts, taking notes, and implementing what you learned. You should also invest in Social Media courses because that’s where you will get action steps that are proven to work.

You just can’t run your business for free. The best knowledge always costs some money. Plus it makes it easier for you because you don’t need to reinvent the wheel and figure out everything on your own.

9.) Using all Social Media platforms without tools:

If you have a bunch of time on your hands, then you might manage all platforms without using tools. But you are probably a super busy business owner with a couple of kids always running around.

That’s when you just need to accept it – you need help. We all do. No one wants to sit in front of the laptop all day long. There are some helpful tools out there and some are actually free.

SCHEDULING FACEBOOK POSTS:

If you want to schedule your posts a couple of days, weeks, or months ahead, you can do that right inside your Facebook page. Here’s a short video where I show you how to do that:

SCHEDULING INSTAGRAM POSTS:

Not many people know this, but you can actually schedule your Instagram posts right on Facebook. It’s a huge time saver and it’s absolutely free.

In the video below you will see the step-by-step process. It’s easy so anyone can do it.

TASSI – THE FAST & SIMPLE SOFTWARE (NOT FREE):

TASSI is more than just a scheduling software. You get a ton of stuff inside:

  • Recommended posts – you get recommendations of what to post
  • Pre-Written Statuses – you can easily choose from different statuses (time-saver!)
  • Post Scheduling – well it’s exactly that – the scheduling tool that allows you to post whenever you want
  • Quote Graphic Library – instead of wasting hours of your time, creating graphics, you can just choose from the library. There are thousands of fully customizable quotes, funny, engaging, and promotional graphics
  • Image Customizer – you can use your logo on any graphic with a simple click of a button

So if you’re really busy, then this is a tool for you. Learn more about TASSI here and start saving your precious time. Let the tool work for you!

10.) Posting at the wrong time:

Posting your content when most of your followers are offline is not a good strategy. Who is going to engage with you if they are not there to see your post? That’s why so many business owners hear crickets.

Analytics are not there just because someone made a mistake while creating a Social Media platform. You should check your analytics once per week or every time you schedule your posts.

Inside that free tool (analytics) you will see when most of your followers are online and engaging with your content. So next time you want to post your content – do it at the right time.

THE BEST TIME TO POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Below you will find the best days and times to post on Social Media platforms. But don’t just rely on the information below.

You should still check your analytics because we all have a different audience which means, they might be online at a different time.

Here’s an infographic that will show you the best and worst day & time to post on each Social Media platform (information from SproutSocial):

Social Media icons and the best time to post on Social Media

11.) Another one of the big Social Media mistakes is stealing content:

You can get in big trouble for that! Stealing posts is not ethical and people will call you out. That will hurt your personal brand a lot! You need to find your voice and express yourself. That makes you unique.

Your followers will quickly notice there is something weird with your content. It might include too many emojis or words that you usually don’t use.

You don’t want to hurt your business, right? But what can you do to effortlessly create scroll-stopping posts? Here are some of the best tips that helped me:

  • Learn about your niche (read blog posts, watch videos…) – the more you know, the more you can share. This will help you create valuable posts that will help your audience
  • Share your own experiences – talking about your stories is one of the most powerful marketing strategies you can do. Your followers will be able to relate with you more and that builds trust.
  • Write down all the ideas – have your notebook close to you. When you get an idea for a post, write it down so you won’t forget. Having a ton of ideas in a notebook will help you save time.
  • Share other people’s posts – notice how I said SHARE and not copy & paste. You have to give credit to the people who created the post. Don’t think that your followers will leave you for the person who’s post you’re sharing. When you’re sharing value – people stay with you!

12.) Posting too much:

Ok, this one is tricky because some people say you should post 10 times per day while others say to post only once. If you are confused – I get it because I was too.

Here’s what I figured out. When I posted 3 times per day on my Facebook page, I got a lower reach (compared to before when I posted only once per day). It was weird because I learned from some great entrepreneurs that we should post at least 5 times per day. That’s a lot!

Those entrepreneurs have a larger following so it’s possible that Facebook (or any other platform) is treating their account differently than yours.

You need to figure out what works for YOUR FOLLOWERS, YOUR BUSINESS, and YOU. Start experimenting and post 5 times per day for a week. Then check your analytics.

If you see really bad results, then post less – maybe 3 times per day. Again do that for a week and check the analytics. That’s how this goes – testing and tweaking baby 😉

13.) Not being organized:

It can be super challenging to stay organized. There are a ton of things to do on your Social Media and that’s why planning ahead is a must. However, you wouldn’t believe how many business owners and entrepreneurs are just winging it.

Feminine home office workspace. Notebook with copyspace. Flat lay, magazines, social media, top view. Pink flowers and tea on pastel pink background. Wedding to do list. Mockup planner.

I was one of them – never planning and organizing stuff. And it didn’t turn out good. I struggled for years before I finally changed this part and started seeing good results.

Being organized with your Social Media is a huge part of success. It’s because you know which step to take next. Isn’t it easier if you have a business plan that you follow?

So if you’re a pen and paper girl like me, then get yourself a planner. But if you love planning on your computer or phone, then check out Trello. It’s a free and fun online organizing tool.

Start planning your Social Media content, strategies, live videos, and more. The daily tasks will help you stay on tracks and I’m sure you will get more done.

14.) Using the same content format:

That can be very boring for your followers. No one wants to see only posts with text. There are people who love watching videos, while others love to read.

Your followers are all different so if you want to engage with all of them, you need to create different content formats. Let’s look at some of the format ideas below.

CONTENT FORMAT IDEAS:

  • Text post (with or without emojis)
  • Post with an image
  • Social Media poll questions
  • Post with a link to a blog
  • Post with a link to a freebie
  • Live video
  • Recorded video
  • Just an image
  • Selfie with your story
  • Webinars
  • Memes
  • Podcasts
  • Infographics
  • GIFs

15.) Not building relationships:

This is the BIGGEST Social Media mistake of all. And if you fail at this one, you will never-ever grow your business. So you should take this part seriously.

You won’t find any shortcuts in relationship building and it will take some time. That’s why it sometimes takes years to grow a successful business. But like I said, it would take you forever if you do this step wrong.

Be genuinely interested in your followers. Also, share your emotional stories because your audience is probably going through something similar – or they feel like you did when you struggled.

But don’t stop there. You can also share their successes. Show them how proud you are that they achieved a goal (big or small). That will make a strong bond between you and your followers.

You don’t need to be super successful to get fans for life. All you have to do is connect with them on a deeper level and show them that you care.

Two business women Shaking Hands working

Conclusion:

It’s easy to make these Social Media mistakes, especially if you’re new to online business. Even if you’re not, that can still happen and it can destroy your personal brand.

No one likes to waste hours on Social Media just to get results once in a while. You’re running a business and want results as fast as possible, right? So that’s why you should never do these 15 Social Media mistakes that we covered above.

Remember, it’s important to learn what to do, but it’s also important to know what NOT to do on Social Media.

So tell me, which one of these mistakes surprised you the most?

Let me know in the comments below.