3 (easy-to-fix) Mistakes You’re Probably Making on Social Media

I’ve been working closely with about a dozen retailers on our new Success Package offering and it’s been awesome. Truly. What an honor to work with amazing people and collaborative clients. I can’t wait to do more.

One of the first steps in the Success Package process is a deep dive audit of the client’s social media. While I’ve been doing these, I’ve found the same three mistakes on every business I’ve come across. The good news? They are easy to fix! The better news? They’ll make you look like a pro compared to your competition.

• Using hashtags on Facebook
  • Just don’t do it. People don’t search hashtags on Facebook and it makes your posts look sloppy. Also, posts with less text generally perform better so don’t waste your text character count on useless hashtags. One caveat to this: It’s OK to use a branded hashtag for a contest or promotion, but that’s it (IMO). If you’re sharing a post from Instagram, go to that post in FB and remove the hashtags. It takes 3 seconds.

• Not adding price or description to photos
  • Another easy one. When you upload a picture (or even several), you should include the price and info about the same product in other colors, sizes, etc. This helps the shopper shop right then and there. How many times have you posted an item photo, created some catchy verbiage to go with it then had to respond to comments about price, sizes, color options, etc.? Make it as easy as possible for your customers to shop from you. Think about how you thoughtfully display merchandise in your store. You likely have price tags on all items and group similar or complementary items together. Offer that same experience to the digital shopper.

• Linking to other businesses, vendors, or brands
  • If you link or @ tag a business/vendor/brand on Facebook or Instagram, and that business/vendor/brand sells online, you are literally helping your fan/follower/customer shop from your competition. Don’t do it. If you want to use the brand as a keyword include it, but don’t link it. Sure the customer can go search and find it on their own. But don’t make it so easy for them. Instead, follow the best practices I listed above and make it easy for them to shop from you.

There you have it. Three easy practices to fix or stop doing today on your social media that will help you stand out. If you’re brave enough to admit it, leave a 🙋🏻‍♀️ in the comments below if you’ve made one of these common mistakes. I know you’re not alone!