When you think of digital marketing for businesses, there are probably a lot of categories that come to mind. SEO, digital advertising, blogging, and link building can all bring traffic and attention to your site. But social media marketing is an important component of corporate digital marketing, too. You probably already understand the importance of maintaining a social media profile on all the major platforms for your business. But it’s not enough to post original content and create a consistent voice for your branding. You’ll also need to refrain from committing these common social media crimes.

1. Liking your own posts
   Yes, the Facebook algorithm can be a tricky one to crack. It can be tough to make sure that your posts are being seen by those who follow your page and your target demographic. But liking or favoriting your own posts is a tacky maneuver that isn’t likely to pay off. Instead, enlist your employees to share and engage with the post. You may also want to consider running paid promotions for specific posts that you feel to be of greater importance.
2. Neglecting to reply to comments
   It can be overwhelming to keep up with the comments you receive on various platforms. But it’s essential that you address these comments. If you don’t engage with your audience, they’ll feel like they’re being ignored — and they’ll associate that with poor customer service. Replying to comments is a great way to alleviate concerns and solidify existing relationships. Plus, more interaction typically equals more views. You need to show everyone who sees your post what you’re all about and how you interact with potential customers.
3. Following everyone back
   Seeing your follower count increase can be really exciting. You may be tempted to follow all of these users back to show them you care. But in this case, your interaction can actually backfire. You should follow accounts and pages that reflect positively on your business. It’s much better to be choosy about who you associate yourself with. Following a company with whom you have a working relationship or liking relevant, local pages can be a good thing. But resist the urge to like or follow every single account that does the same with your accounts.
4. Deleting negative comments
   Most people don’t like to hear criticism, especially in a public forum. But it’s vital that you refrain from deleting any negative comments you receive on Facebook, Instagram, or review sites. Instead of trying to pretend like an incident never occurred, you should acknowledge the problem and try to come up with ways to solve it. This will impress both the customer and anyone else who views your posts. By showing that you’re proactive in creating solutions, you’re also giving people a reason to work with you.
5. Posting too frequently
   In Digital Marketing For Businesses 101, you probably learned the importance of posting often and not letting your platforms go dormant. While that advice is sound, you’ll also need to remember not to post too frequently. You need to be active on social media without overdoing it. If you annoy other users with your posts, they’re going to hide you from their feed or unfollow your page altogether. A general rule of thumb: don’t post on Facebook more than once per day, keep your Instagram posts limited to one to two times per day, and don’t tweet more than 15 times in a 24 hour period. Feel free to experiment, of course, but remember that you need to provide helpful information rather than inundate with irrelevant or redundant posts.

The truth is that social media marketing, and digital marketing for businesses in general, can be a tough nut to crack. But by learning the best practices (and what NOT to do), you’ll put your business in a much better position to succeed.