Are you doing social media wrong?

6 things you should never do on social media

Do social media the right way.

Wondering how to improve your social media presence? Here are some tips on what not to do to help you in your journey to social media greatness.

Don’t buy likes and followers.

While you can run ads to accrue more followers on social media, there are much more strategic ways to use social media advertising dollars. Buying likes will garner you new followers who are not necessarily engaged with your content or brand. Instead of focusing on likes, create content specifically for audiences you want to acquire. When you target content to those groups, you’ll see your likes go up along with clicks to your content.

Don’t make it all about you.

If your social media strategy only includes touting your company’s news and accolades, you’re not going to have successful engagement. Think about the content your audience wants, and create a content plan from there.

Don’t ignore people.

Ignoring comments on social media can hinder opportunities with your audience. While megabrands can’t possibly respond to all comments, your company should respond as often as it can manage. This is key to building a relationship with your audience. And while responding to positive messages is easy, negative comments come with the territory on social media, and you should address them. Work with your public relations team to discuss how to handle negative comments – before they hit your feed.

Don’t have an attitude or be overly defensive.

If your social media manager doesn’t have some PR experience, he or she should be working closely with your PR team to work out things like messaging and tone. Social media managers should never have an attitude or be overly defensive. Positivity is the name of the game, and PR can help you develop a positive message platform and approach.

Don’t rely on scheduling only.

While scheduling social media content is convenient and often necessary, you should supplement it with real-time engagement. Additionally, social media managers should always have an eye on current news and events and be prepared to pull any social media content that could be offensive or ill-timed.

Don’t let your channels become stagnant.

The worst thing you can do in managing your social media is nothing at all. Having a consistent, well-planned approach is the cornerstone of social media success.

Want more insight into managing social media? Download Axia Public Relations’ e-book The Essential Social Media Management Guide today to learn the best practices for successfully reaching your target audiences.

Julie Miller is a marketing and communications professional with more than seven years of experience in the industry. She specializes in technology, digital marketing and communications. Julie has worked for Axia Public Relations since November 2015. Connect with Axia on Twitter @axiapr or tell us what you think in the comments below.