Once upon a time, there was a user exploring the vast waters of online social networks. Bored with nothing to do, he navigated the internet looking for entertainment or something engaging but to his surprise, the more he searched, the more bored he became. Finally, he aborted his mission and flipped over to Netflix instead.
Yes, this is a sad story of how social networks can sometimes get boring for users because their content is repetitive and predictable. Unfortunately, it is a common occurrence and very few companies choose to get out of the safe zone to give way to creativity. But with social networks, relevance is key to not getting lost in the digital crowd.
Here are 5 ways your brand’s social media may be boring your followers:
1) You only talk about your brand. (Narcissist, much?)
It’s not wrong to talk about your brand, but nobody wants to hear only about you and how great you are all the time. It’s good to post about your successes or products occasionally, but not every day, every hour, unless you want to be seen as an infomercial.
Create a strategy which allows you to mention of the qualities of your business without being so obvious and repetitive. This is where you need to add wit and creativity to attract users and get them to have interest in your brand. You can create great things without a massive budget. Take inspiration from brands like Trident and W Mexico City. They are great brands, but are not afraid to get creative with their online personas.
2) You share content that doesn’t go with your brand. (Peanut butter and mustard sandwich, anyone?)
If you have a Mexican restaurant, don’t post content about Chinese food. It’s good to give your brand a personality and to be clear about your target market. If your customers are mostly men aged 20 to 30 years, share materials that is going to interest them specifically. You, more than anyone, should know their tastes and needs.
And finally, make sure you share content that is relevant to your business, but don’t be scared to think outside the content box and get creative in your posts.
3) You don’t have new, current content. (Fresh versus frozen)
It’s important to keep updating your photographic material so you aren’t recycling the same old photos over and over again. It's okay to do one or two laps with the same material, but don’t abuse this because it can be counterproductive. Always keep fresh and up to date. You want the quality of your social media to be equal to the quality of your brand and products. Don’t forget that today, social networks are an essential part of your brand experience.
4) You don’t interact with users. (Like Anna Wintour at Fashion Week)
You know that moment when you are hanging out with your friends and totally telling them about what’s going on in your life and then you realize they aren’t really listing and are all texting on their cell phones instead? Well, that’s basically the same as when a user leaves a comment on one of your networks and you don’t respond. Even a seemingly insignificant interaction with make the user on the other side of the screen feel heard and appreciated, which equals more points for your brand. Yes, this is where you can earn your shiny star for effort!
But wait, what if a user leaves a negative comment? This is all the more reason to take action and not ignore it. This is healthy feedback that can help you refine certain aspects of your business and to gain even clearer understanding of the needs of your customers and users. Take this as an opportunity to improve. Today, social networks are one of the pillars of communication between client company.
5) Poor spelling and grammar. (Don’t make Merriam and Webster roll over in their graves)
Building a business is a quest for perfection, looking for the best elements, services and products to make it a success. It should be no different on your social networks, so you need to be careful to use correct spelling and grammar on all your posts. Even a simple mistake can cost you dearly. Consider the famous flub committed by the mega clothing retailer, H&M, who screened a t-shirt with “Genious is one percent inspiration and ninety nice percent perspiration”. Nice sentiment, but the misspelling of the word “genius” led to thousands of t-shirts ending up on the clearance rack.
Use these 5 guidelines to pull your brand out of the digital crowd and bring it front and center. Now, it's time to practice what you just learned and start stealing the hearts and attention of users!
Valeria Ruelas is a Community Manager at Mijo! Brands, a leading digital agency with offices in CDMX and Puerto Vallarta. For more information, contact us.
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