Social media mistakes are not uncommon — and they could be costing you big if you continue to repeat them. The most terrifying social media mistakes are the ones that might just scare away your followers for good.

Is your social media page turning into the haunted house on the hill that nobody wants to visit? Are you losing sleep because you’re concerned about your social media results? 

Time to call in the Ghostbusters of social media and let Rallio scare away the goblins and ghouls — so you can put an end to the nightmare these social mistakes might be causing:

1. Being an Unwanted Guest

There are a couple of different ways your page can turn into the unwanted guest in newsfeeds: posting infrequently and/or posting irrelevant content. 

If you’re posting infrequently, your followers will forget about you and what you do. Any posts you do create either won’t be seen — especially if you’re not boosting them — or may be met with a “Huh? Who and what is this?”

If you’re posting irrelevant content, it will garner the same results. You’ll be forgotten, unfollowed or hidden from newsfeeds. 

Ghostbuster tip: Post relevant, local content that shows the real, authentic you. Include a wide variety of posts about team members, product spotlights and how-tos, blog posts, and videos featuring your people and customers.

As far as frequency, the typical cadence is three to four times per week, according to HubSpot. If you’re posting local, non-promotional content, you can post more frequently, even daily. Just don’t go overboard, as that will also be unwelcome by your followers.

Pay attention to the content that gets the most engagement with your audience, too. Boost the most relevant posts to increase your chances of being seen — without the accompanying frightened look of surprise from your followers. Focus on quality over quantity for the best results.

Read more: 7 Habits of Highly Successful Social Media Marketers

2. Haunting Followers With Promotions

Along with posting irrelevant content, another social media mistake is posting too much promotional content. Just like they don’t want to see content they don’t care about, they don’t want to be flooded with promotions, either. It’s like getting junk mail, and it’s not going to win over your followers.

Ghostbuster tip: As you begin posting relevant content, you’ll build a relationship with your audience. At that point, the occasional promotional post won’t be off-putting to your audience. It will feel more like a friend telling them about a great deal or a cool new product. You can also boost these promotional posts to increase visibility and reach.

3. Scaring People Away

If you snarl at people who criticize you, or you’re rude when they ask a question, or you ignore people altogether, that’s a definite no-no. This social media mistake has to do with failing to realize that social platforms are also customer service channels. 

People turn to your social media pages to ask questions, leave reviews and share about their experiences with your brand. If you’re rude to them or don’t get back to them, it’s going to scare them away — or send them on a spree of spreading negative information about your brand.

Ghostbuster tip: Respond to your engagements, messages and reviews. Whether it’s positive, negative or neutral, you always want to look alive and make sure your followers hear from you.

Read more: How’s Your Customer Response Time? 6 Simple Ways to Step It Up

4. Being overly controversial

In 2020, it’s expected that there will be a degree of controversy on social media. Whether it’s about the pandemic, politics or social issues, there are many different topics about which you might want to take a stand.

While it’s important to stand by your convictions and core values as a company, it’s also important to do it as tastefully and respectfully as possible. Insulting people who don’t agree with you doesn’t make you look very inviting.

Ghostbuster tip: If you’re going to comment on touchy subjects, stick to the facts. Think of it like Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of relatives. Unless you want people flinging mashed potatoes and turkey at each other, you’ve got to remain pleasant and approachable. 

Want to encourage people to vote, for example? Great! Be encouraging. Tell your followers where to find their local ballot dropoff box. Post a photo of yourself wearing your “I voted” sticker. Don’t say, “You’re a real dummy if you don’t vote” (even if secretly that’s what you think). 

5. Letting your analytics collect cobwebs

If you’re posting content, boosting your posts and running promotions, you need to know what’s working and what’s not. Checking your analytics helps you gain an understanding of the types of content that work best on your page. It also helps you tailor promotions for your audience. 

So if you’re not checking your analytics and getting to know your audience, you won’t be able to make any of those important tweaks. 

Ghostbuster tip: Regularly take a fine-toothed comb to your analytics. All of the major platforms offer insights into your audience, your promotions and your growth. Then use that information to create the most compelling content and campaigns going forward.

RIP to Your Social Media Mistakes

You work hard to gain followers on social media. Don’t scare them away by succumbing to the social media mistakes above. 

Rallio has perfected the process of creating engaging content, responding to online reviews and making sure our clients’ pages are performing optimally. If you’re ready to lay your social media mistakes to rest, get in touch with us today.

Read more: Should You Outsource Your Small-Business Social Media? 4 Compelling Reasons It Makes Sense