10.5 social media mistakes to avoid

1. 10.5 SOCIAL MEDIA
MISTAKES
AND HOW TO AVOID
THEM....

2. MISTAKE #1
“Not knowing the importance
of brevity.”

3. SOLUTION: WRITE LESS AND SAY MORE
 Keep your posts short and to the point. Your
followers lead busy lives & don’t have the time to
read a monologue.

4. MISTAKE #2
“Not proofreading before you
post someting.”

5. SOLUTION: CHECK, THEN CHECK AGAIN
 Spelling mistakes and grammar errors will damage
your reputation and can lead to your followers not
taking you seriously.

6. MISTAKE #3
“Posting a status in the heat
of the moment.”

7. SOLUTION: TAKE TIME OUT
 The person in charge of your social media site
should be calm and collected at all times when
posting a status or response to a comment.

8. MISTAKE #4
“#Using #Too #Many
#Hashtags On #Twitter.”

9. SOLUTION: USE LESS HASHTAGS
 A hashtag is simply a way for people to search for
tweets that have a common topic. Use it properly to
demonstrate that you are a social media guru!

10. MISTAKE #5
“Missing the value of visual
imagery.”

11. SOLUTION: PUT PICTURES IN YOUR POSTS
 People often say - “A picture paints a thousand
words.” Make sure you often include images with
your posts to catch the eye of your followers and
reinforce meaning.
 E.g Today is “World Book Day” and we want all parents to join
the fun and read a book to their child tonight!

12. MISTAKE #6
“Badmouthing your
competitors.”

13. SOLUTION: FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS
 Keep your dignity and reputation as a business in
tact – try to not fall into the trap of making negative
comments about what your competitors are doing
wrong. Instead, shout to your followers about what
you are doing right!

14. MISTAKE #7
“Ignoring chances for social
engagement with your
followers.”

15. SOLUTION: INVITE PARTICIPATION
 Use all opportunities to engage with your audience,
as this will arouse their interest and enhance the
popularity of your social media site.
Examples:
 If you find an interesting story to post on your site,
ask your followers what they think.
 If it’s a bank holiday, ask your followers to share
what they have planned with their children.

16. MISTAKE #8
“Sweeping negative
comments under the rug.”

17. SOLUTION: DON’T PLAY IGNORANT
 Use all negative comments posted on your feed as
a way of demonstrating to your other followers that
you are professional and care about resolving any
issues with your service.
 See http://www.parenta.com/2014/05/07/5-ways-to-
deal-with-negative-online-comments/ for more
advice on what to do.

18. MISTAKE #9
“Starting a tweet with an
@mention.”

19. SOLUTION: USE A FULL STOP
 When replying to people, you can transform a reply
to a mention by starting your tweets with a full stop,
for example
.@Kitkat thanks for your comments about our open day, we
loved showcasing the nursery to everyone and believe it was
a great success.
 This allows you to share your responses and
suggestions with followers, rather than limiting who
can see the post to just a few people.

20. MISTAKE #10
“Not measuring the impact of
your social media tools.”

21. SOLUTION: ANALYSE YOUR WORK
 To find out what is really turning people’s attention
to your site, use tools such as Hubspot and
Google Analytics to see what articles and posts
have worked well.

22. MISTAKE #10.5
“Creating a social media
page then neglecting it.”

23. SOLUTION: UPDATE YOUR ACCOUNT OFTEN
 Nobody is expecting you to update your social
media account every day, it goes without saying
you will simply not have the time.
 However, no one will want to follow a page which
hasn’t been updated for several months as it will be
little use to them...so get the balance right!

24. MORE ABOUT US...
Parenta is dedicated to helping those who care for children.
We provide management software, website design and
training & qualifications to those who work in the childcare
industry.
To find out more, go to our website www.parenta.com or
follow us:
www.twitter.com/TheParentaGroup
www.facebook.com/ParentaTraining
www.linkedin.com/company/parenta