Working on social media, no matter what the platform, is incredibly difficult, especially when you’re starting out. Finding content that works, developing your tone of voice, and learning how to interact with your audience is not easy, especially when you treat your accounts like your personal account. One of the most common mistakes you will come across is an account that caters to the person posting as opposed to the audience.
The most important lesson to learn is that it is not about you.
Stuck On Yourself
Everyone has social media experience. You’re on Facebook and Twitter constantly, right? You interact with people, post stories, and share your thoughts. The problem is that far too many people feel that posting for your company is similar to posting to your friends, and that is where many brands end up falling short.
It’s About Your Audience
The biggest part of running a successful social media campaign is to throw out your ideas of what you like. Maybe you hate scrolling through videos or gifs on your personal timeline, but does your audience hate it? Often times, your personal taste will keep you from attempting content that might be massively successful. Your audience doesn’t have the same opinions on what they find annoying, so limiting what you post to what you would like to see means you are only catering to the people that agree with you. You need to toss out every personal preference you have and start branching out into what your audience responds to.
Change Your Perspective
It can be almost impossible not to let your own tastes dictate what you post or create, but if you remind yourself that your account needs to show your value as a brand. While you’re finding your voice, it’s important to keep a few key elements in mind.
What Matters To Them- Your audience is going to be broad, filled with users from all over, and with different levels of comfort with social media. Try to speak to them. Your ads might not be something that would grab you personally, but is it going to engage your audience? Are you skipping over effective tools because you don’t think your personal timeline would like it? Take a close look at who your audience is, and create for them, not for you.
Be Honest- Most people use social media to highlight the best parts of their lives and give an impression of “living your best life.” As a brand, you will want to make yourself look as strong and successful as possible, but you also want to open up about challenges and doubts. Asking a question about how you can do better is a great way to engage and learn about your audience. If a promotion fails, it’s ok to admit it. If you’re struggling to get product to your consumers, don’t be afraid to talk about it honestly with them. It gives you credibility and humanity that will engender a positive view of who you are as a brand.
Learning to divorce yourself from your personal predilections when it comes to social media is one of the best ways to find more success on your platforms. Most importantly, take stock of your channels every month to keep up with what your audience is craving, and what you need to cut back on.