Are You Making These Social Media & Blogging Mistakes?

Post by Blog Manager, Robbi Hess 

Blogging and social media can sometimes be wrought with thoughts of “am I making a mistake?” or “how can I do this better?” Whether you’re a long-time blogger or a newbie in the field this post will (hopefully) provide you a quick list of social media and blogging mistakes to avoid.

Here are my top five for your consideration:

• Like it says in the movie, Frozen… “let it go.” There are just some fights you either cannot win or simply do not want to be involved in. Pick your battles. Let snarky comments roll off your back. It’s not easy, I know, but it is best for your mental and physical health to just understand there are some people who will always complain and no matter what you do, you will not be able to please them. Not. Ever. Accept that and move on and work on continuing to please your fans.
• You’re selfish. Remember, social media is about being social. This means you need to share, and like and follow and comment on other people’s posts. This also means you need to put more content on your social media pages than just announcements that you’ve posted a new blog. Spread the love!
• You don’t pay attention to your tribe. Your “tribe” are those people who wait by the computer screen for your latest blog post to go live. They are the online friends who tell others about you. If they’re talking about you, you should return the favor and talk about them. Share their content with your friends. Just as LinkedIn shows the connections that you have and then the connections that your connections have… you can see the snowball effect of paying attention to them.
• “Now where have I seen that before?” When you’re sharing your blog content or social media status updates across multiple platforms, make sure you have a new message. You can certainly share the same blog post, but you certainly do not need to have the same wording on every platform.
• “Who are you?” Yes you can write about more than one topic, but if you’re all over the map, how will your readers connect with you and your content? Readers typically go to a blog because they know they will find XYZ content on ABC topic that they love. If they can’t rely on you to deliver the content that originally drew them in, what will entice them to stick with you? Let your readers get to know you and then keep giving them what they want.
• BONUS: Are you Superman or Superwoman? If you’re not, then you need to choose your social media platforms wisely. Don’t start sharing on Google+ or Pinterest or Facebook, etc. if you aren’t going to stick with it. If someone comes looking for you and sees that the last status update you posted was three months ago they may think you’re no longer blogging.

While none of these are deadly sins, they are still items that are easy to fall off track with. Do you commit any of these social media and/or blogging mistakes? How did you fix them?

(Photo Shutterstock Bunny on agility course)