Blog

Social media accounts are practically mandatory these days when you’re considering promoting any business—and that includes insurance. They can be a great way to expand your reach and get people interested in what you sell. But each social media platform has its own culture—and its own potential pitfalls.

That said, there are a few common social media mistakes that lots of people make—across many platforms. Here’s an overview.

Letting a long time go between posts. Every social media platform is different when it comes to frequency of posting—from a couple times a day (Twitter) to a few times a week (Facebook). But if you leave a few months between posts, that looks bad on every platform. You seem like you’re too disorganized to post—or that you aren’t in business anymore. If you don’t have time to keep up with a platform, let it go.

Being too promotional. This is very common for business accounts—but bear in mind that about three-fourths of your content should be about others, not yourself. Your posts could range from educational to entertaining—depending on the culture on the platform; Facebook tends to be more casual, for instance, while LinkedIn generally likes more educational, work-related posts. But either way, on social media you have to earn your self-promotional posts with a much more frequent schedule of non-promotional posting.

Avoiding engagement. It’s not enough just to post. You also have to keep the conversation going. You don’t have to respond to every single post, but it’s important to show you’re accessible—especially if someone posts a complaint.

Not customizing your content. There are dozens of social media platforms, and each one uses content in a different way. It’s important to design content specifically for the platform you’re using—people notice when you post the same thing across multiple platforms.

Trying to maintain a presence on too many platforms. This is one of the most common mistakes business owners make. Each platform takes a certain amount of work—you have to manage the community, post content that fits, and maintain an accessible presence. That’s a lot of work that doesn’t already pay off right away. The best advice is usually to choose one or two platforms to focus on at first, and expand slowly when you see the need.

Social media can energize your outreach and help you connect with new customers—especially millennials. But there’s a learning curve. Start by avoiding these missteps, and hopefully your social media efforts will bring in business.