5 Social Media Mistakes Local Businesses Make (And How to Fix Them)
I frequently speak with small business owners regarding their Instagram and Facebook pages, and frankly, the same small number of errors keep turning up over and over again. It’s not generally because the business itself is bad – the problem is only that the page is being managed as if it were a personal account rather than a business one. The following five points are common with me, and you can correct them all without having to spend a single rupee.
- Posting whatever, whenever
At one time it’s a product photograph, then there’s nothing for two weeks, and then a spontaneous message for a festival. There isn’t any kind of pattern to it, and frankly the followers can sense this; it gives the impression that the page has been abandoned even though you’re still active. Instead, do this — choose a loose weekly routine. For example, one product post, one behind-the-scenes moment, one customer shoutout, and one short tip. You don’t have to stick to it precisely, just have something to go on so that you’re not having to begin from scratch each time. - Leaving comments and direct messages when a post has been read
This is a major point and people fail to appreciate it. When someone leaves a comment inquiring about prices and hasn’t received a reply within three days, they’ve most likely already contacted somebody else by that time. It’s not that you don’t care—you’re simply busy. However, from the customer’s point of view, a lack of response is interpreted as “not interested”. Even just replying twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, for fifteen minutes, makes a noticeable difference. - Only coming in when there are sales
When your page only becomes active during a sale, people begin to notice and then choose to pay attention only at those times. This causes your audience to ignore you at all other times. So, try putting out something in between — for example, a tip, a glimpse of how you work, or a happy customer’s story. This will keep people engaged even when you’re not selling. - Captions which in fact say nothing
I keep seeing “New arrival 🔥” together with a good photo and no more than that. The photo carries out its purpose, but the caption fails to do its job. It should quickly inform a person of what the item is, explain why it’s important to them, and tell them what to do next—such as messaging me, visiting the page, or tapping the link. Most people do skip the last of these points, and that is often the factor which determines whether someone merely swipes the item past or actually gets in touch. - Each time it appears it looks slightly different.
There’s no actual pattern to be found since different fonts and filters are used — even if the products are good, the page ends up looking as though it’s been put together randomly. You don’t have to employ a designer for this; simply choose two or three colours that you like, perhaps stick to one font, and try to use them again. Eventually, people begin to recognise your posts before they’ve even read the caption, and that’s quite valuable.
You don’t need a large budget or a complete overhaul of your page—just a few small and consistent habits, and most of the businesses I’ve come across that put into practice two or three of these will start to receive more comments and direct messages within a few weeks.
