brand awareness

5 Common Social Media Mistakes Brands Make

Social media is an essential marketing communication tool for brands now, but there are recurring mistakes that many brands make. Marketing on social media doesn’t have to be big or expensive, as a little but effective creativity can go a long way. 

Here are five common mistakes observed on many brand’s social media, and how you can get it right.

Assuming people actually care about you and your products

To start defining your purpose of social media, you need to understand it. You need to understand what you are gonna offer to customers and why they will want to interact, and hopefully purchase from your business. Everyone is busy, and the general attention span on social media is down to seconds, so how are you going to stand out? How is the consumer going to find you? Think about relevant areas and ways to target them, and encourage engagement, but remember that a lot of audiences remain passive, so need to find a way to make your brand memorable. Make people search for you, not just you searching for your consumer.

Creating content no one sees 

Consider your audience and the times of day they are most likely to go on social media. When are they most likely to interact with your content? Bear in mind the day of the week and the time of the day. If your content is that bold and creative, it will capture the attention of your audience, but one thing that your brand will benefit from would be a bulk of content, rather than just relying on one image. This gives your audience more of a chance to come across your posts, no matter what time of day they go on their socials.

Confusion on what you want to achieve

 To have a successful social media strategy, you need to focus on your objectives and how you measure the success you see. As a brand, make sure you are clear on the current picture, and you are using insights and data to evidence your actions of what you are posting. Most campaigns on social media have something to learn from, so find something from each of yours that you could change for next time, or even research into case studies of other campaigns that have or haven’t worked and learn from them.

Posting the same content on every channel

 It’s easy to do, and very tempting, to resize content and post on every platform, but people get bored easily and want to be constantly engaged and stimulated. Different channels have different concepts, so use them to their full potential and tailor content specifically. There may be occasions when content does need to be visible across every channel, but keep this rare for special campaigns or limited content. Your audience will thank you for it.

Expecting immediate return 

Excuse the cliche phrase, but it’s not about the destination but the journey. Social media rarely gives immediate return on investment, and a long-term strategy will keep you on track to achieve your brand’s goals and objectives. Count on the small wins too, and reward yourself on effort, not just acquisition. Remember to keep referring to insights and data to keep your content and strategies relevant to your consumer’s behaviour and learn as you go to connect with them, and grow your presence.

If you would like help with your social media marketing, get in touch now, and speak to a member of our team. If you enjoyed this blog, find more here.

What to Include in Your Valentine's Social Media Strategy

Ah, Valentine's Day, when love fills the air and marketers are on the prowl. As we step into the month of love let’s dive into the world of social media and marketing. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it provides the perfect opportunity to really connect with your consumer (no pun intended). You’ve got your very own cupid with us, so we’ve put together a list of trends and ideas that’ll really boost your social media engagement. We hope you LOVE them! 

The Importance of Pink and Red

Who needs to set a reminder for Valentine's Day when your favourite brands will do it for you?! As we head into February we start to notice an increase in the usage of pink and red on our social media platforms. These colours are synonymous with Valentine's Day, and are a great way to let your customer know that you’re getting involved in all the action! 

Get creative with your social media posts. You could focus on making them stand out or create something aesthetically pleasing. Either way, have fun with it, experiment with what works for your brand and remind your customers about Valentine's Day!

For themed social media post ideas, click here.

Perfect Timing for a Campaign 

14th of February is not only the best day to show that special someone you love them, but it’s also the perfect time of year to up your A-game with Valentine-themed marketing campaigns. Valentine's offers a unique opportunity to connect with your customers, boost sales and increase brand awareness. So, why not try introducing a campaign into your social media strategy?

Amongst all the creativity, a campaign that really stuck out to us was Walker's “Heart Shaped Crisp Hunt” in 2023. Walkers were giving out £100,000 to whoever found the best heart-shaped crisp. Customers were to take photos of their heart-shaped snack and upload them to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #LoveFromWalkers. 

Using your own hashtag can create a sense of community and ignite curiosity. It’s a great way to boost sales and get your customers involved! 

Love from, Everyone 

Valentine's Day isn’t just for traditional romance. Think LGTBQ+, pets, family and friends. Take Galentines for example, a celebration that has become more popular over the years to ensure the single consumers feel included and embrace the love they have for each other and themselves too! If you’re not feeling the love this year, why not get your gals together and have a Galentines? Or, even better, host an event for them! 

London-based gaming bar, Electric Shuffle is hosting a Galentines Brunch (heart eyes emoji) to celebrate the love of friends. With drinks flowing and music playing, it’s guaranteed to have you raising a toast to your besties! 

Target Last-Minute Shoppers 

We’ve all been there, we’ve all forgotten someone's special day at one point or another. To avoid your customer ending up in someone's bad books, why not set a countdown offer/promotion to get those sales in before it’s too late. 

Having an active promotion is a great way to secure sales, especially amongst those last-minute shoppers who are hunting down a bargain! Why not include a pop-up on your website or a personlised email promoting your offers - In 2021, we saw Thorful send out a 7-day countdown to their customers. 

Examples of successful Valentine's promotions: 

  • 2-4-1 on selected lines 
  • % off Valentine-themed products 
  • Free Next Day Delivery (a great incentive for any Valentine purchase) 
  • A rewards programme to join to access future discounts 

Be Interactive 

What better way to boost engagement and interaction on social media than by having interactive posts? Instagram stories offer a range of ways to engage with your audience, such as polls, quizzes, “add yours” and many more! 

People love an easy way to gain insights into their feelings and behaviours; adding a Valentine-themed quiz to your Instagram will do just that thing. How about a "What kind of lover are you?” quiz? Or, a Valentine's general knowledge quiz, here are some examples of questions you could use to make your content engaging: 

Q. What is Cupid's name in Greek Mythology?

  1. Eros 

Q. From where was the first Valentine's letter sent?

  1. Prison 

Q. On average, how many Valentine's proposals are there on Valentine's Day every year?

  1. 220,000

There you have it - some of our favourite trends and ideas to boost your social media engagement this Valentine's Day. Don't forget, be creative and have fun! 

- Your secret admirer 

  P.S. Happy Valentine's Day! 

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