You're on social media, right? Maybe Facebook or Twitter. And you probably enjoy it. In fact, when you open Facebook, you spend (waste?) an hour or two before you know it.

The problem is that you don't see actual benefits for your business. And you don't know what you're doing wrong.
   

"Sometimes, the best way to learn something is by doing it wrong and looking at what you did." – Neil Gaiman, bestselling author

Are you making any of the following common mistakes that hold you back?

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You Don't Respond to Followers

If you're a celebrity with hundreds of thousands of followers, you can't respond every time a follower comments.

But if you're an online entrepreneur, social media is part of your customer service. You need to engage with each follower whether he praises or complains. Otherwise, your reputation is likely to suffer.

You're Always Promoting

Have you heard of the 80/20 rule? It's very simple. Your time should be 80% engagement and only 20% promotion.

It's true that your followers are interested in your product and probably want to know about special offers, but social media is supposed to be social. Spend 80% of your time educating and entertaining your followers.

Then when your promotions come along, they'll be more likely to check them out.

You Try to Be Everything to Everyone

Don't confuse your followers with different version of your personality. Don't try to act young if you're not. Don't use slang that you wouldn't normally use in everyday life.

Your social media text should reflect your true personality.

You Try to Use Too Many Social Media Platforms

You might have read how important it is to be on several social media platforms. That's not necessarily true.

Start out with just one or two platforms. Each platform has its own etiquette and rules that you need to learn. Don't publish the same message on each platform. Instead, revise your messages to fit each platform.

You Use a Photo of Your Dog as Your Profile Picture

You've got a great dog, and you want everyone to see him. But that's not the purpose of your business social media accounts.

You can put your dog on a post once in a while. But not as your profile photo. After all, you're engaging with your followers and want your personality – not your dog – to win them over.

Don't be shy. Put a recent, smiling picture of yourself as your profile photo. If that makes you uncomfortable, then you could use your logo instead.

You're Not Consistent Across Platforms

Yes, your posts need to be different on each platform so that they're appropriate for each one, but your accounts on each platform should be consistent.

Use the same fonts and a similar color scheme for the headers. This includes your website as well as the social platforms that you use.

You Resent the Time You Spend on Social Media

If you're bored or irritated when you're on social media, that negative attitude will restrict your creativity. In addition, your attitude will come through to your followers and turn them off.

You can easily turn around any of these mistakes and turn your social media into a valuable asset. The result could be a boost in sales.

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Build a FREE Website Here!   Author: Kate Benzin