Following the seminar we had last week that discussed 6 things to STOP doing when on social media, or social media no-nos, we thought it would be a great idea to share what we covered! We were pleased to meet and greet with small business owners in Ottawa at CollabSpace and take part in an interactive seminar that investigated practical solutions to achieve business goals using social media. Here is what we talked about:

1. STOP asking, rather educate.

"Constantly ASKING on social media is comparable to solicitation. And no one really likes to be solicited."

2. STOP neglecting visuals.

Social Media platforms are crowded with visual content that is sharable and captivating. When companies forget or choose to forgo visual content, then they are missing a grand opportunity to grab their audience’s attention. Visual social content is essential. If businesses don’t have the budget to create original visual content, they can use relevant stock photos or borrow existing visuals (and credit the original source/content owner).

People nowadays are time poor. And since they're increasingly using mobile devices to access social media on-the-go, businesses need to create more timely visual content that their audience can relate to.

Creating share-worthy content should be the goal, and leveraging visuals that are captivating and engaging will work wonders for your social strategy.

3. STOP using content once.

If you are creating content (blog posts, info-graphics, webinars, vlogs) that add value, share it more than once to increase its reach potential. 14% of your followers will see what you’ve posted the first time around and only 7% of them will actually interact with it. You can see how sharing information only once can amount to wasted time and money for your business!

It’s important to note that you don’t need to share content the same way twice. Try mixing it up when you repurpose it. Maybe you’ll add a different post description, or a new accompanying visual. By posting variations of the same content, you’ll keeps things interesting for those who’ve seen the original post and reach more of those who haven’t.

Continue to share the unique content your company creates until it becomes irrelevant (which may never be the case). It will allow you to spend more time brainstorming ideas for new content that will provide additional VALUE to your audience.

4. STOP only targeting potential clients.

As a social media specialist, I get asked, “who should I follow” a lot. I’ll normally advise business owners to target LIKE-MINDED people who operate within the same industry. Initially, these are the people who are most likely to FOLLOW YOU BACK and share the content you create (if it’s of VALUE to them).

It’s OK to target your potential clients, but a balanced approach is best. It’s easy for businesses to identify those that can benefit from their product/service, however, it takes far more time for a potential customer to come to this same realization. So reach out to influencers, thought leaders and licensed professionals within your community and in your industry. Build relationships with people who will collaborate with you and help you reach new audiences.

Remember, your potential clients might not be right in front of you - they’re probably in someone else’s audience/following.

5. STOP neglecting interactions.

At our social media seminar I compared posting on social and NOT staying to interact with attending a friend’s birthday party only to drop off a gift and leave without even saying "Happy Birthday". Neglecting to respond to comments or interact with your following is ANTI-SOCIAL.

If you are creating engaging content and providing value as noted in point #1, make sure to stay and receive the praise! Comment back to people who message you, start conversations, join in on discussions and join relevant groups, where you can lend your opinion. Designate time for interacting on social media. It will nurture your relationships and your online presence. Humanizing your social media will give your potential clients an opportunity to see what it would be like to work with you, before they even meet you!

6. STOP viewing social media as a chore.

Rather, view social media management as a serious opportunity. Every post is important in the ensemble of your social media strategy. When businesses don’t use it to its full potential, they really miss out. People that see social media as a chore and neglect getting around to it are the ones that believe it won’t provide real returns. To them I say: You reap what you sow. The truth is, you can never tap into the full potential of social media if it’s isolated from your overall business strategy.

Social media tools and best practices are changing rapidly. Whether you schedule content or designate time every week to interact with your audience, changing your mentality about social media is the first step to achieving amazing results! If you feel like social media is a chore, then you’re doing it all wrong.