5 Ways You’re Losing Social Media Follows

Everyone’s on social. In fact, 89% of businesses, from personal brands to large corporations, have a social media presence.

But having a social media account doesn’t guarantee success.

Although 77% of people follow at least one brand on social media, 56% of people have unfollowed a brand because of bad writing. In other words, for being too boring or too sales-y.

No brand wants that.

But what does being too boring mean? If you’re doing any of the following, chances are you’re losing your audience’s interest—and follows.

You Only Share Your Content

Writing your own content and sharing it is a must for your brand. In turn, sharing other brands’ content is a must for your social media presence.

When you only share your own content, you present your brand as the know-it-all instead of the know-all. Your followers will think that you only want to promote what you know and what you can do.

That’s not how you’d describe your brand, right?

What You Can Do: Share articles, blog posts, infographics, videos and other multimedia content that’s related to your brand’s industry, cause and message. Make sure to follow the content creator’s social media account and tag them within the shared post to build your network and influence. Sharing other people’s content means:

• Establishing yourself as the go-to source for valuable information
• Supporting the message of your brand
• Showing your followers that you’re listening to influences—and them

You Ignore Your Social Media Fans

What do you do when a follower tags you in a post like this: “I LOVE the butter pecan ice cream at @ChocolateCheesecake! #omnomnom”

It doesn’t matter what you want to do. 99% of people on social media expect a response when they mention a brand on social media.

Don’t believe us? The stats are in.

Not responding to this message sends an even more offensive message to your follower. Think of it as a virtual cold shoulder.

If you identify your brand as being friendly, fun and approachable, then it’s time to start showing it on social media.

What You Can Do: Reply back with a personal message when someone mentions your brand. Post a shout-out or personalized thank you message when someone retweets or shares your post. Try engaging in conversation as much as possible, from posing questions to continuing the conversation. Engaging on social media means:

• Walking the walk of your brand’s personality
• Strengthening customer loyalty to your brand
• Receiving real-time feedback on what you’re doing right and where you can improve

You Post Too Much

Communicating too much with your audience can be as damaging as not communicating with them at all. If your social feed reads like a spam email box, it’s time to reassess your strategy.

Your followers will start tuning out what you have to say if they see too many posts from your brand. Social media is about saying the right thing at the right time.

So, when it comes to posting, what’s the right balance?

What You Can Do: Post on your social media accounts at these recommended times. How often you should post on social media varies for each platform:

• Facebook: 2 times per day, 7 days a week
• Twitter: up to 10 times per day (once each hour)
• LinkedIn: 1 time per day, weekdays only
• Google+: 2 times per day, weekdays only

Your Social Media Personality Is Stuffy

That doesn’t mean bad grammar and punctuation are allowed (in fact, 48% of people find that important). But present your brand as more than a product or service to sell.

Be humorous or witty or mysterious. Make a list of synonyms for “corporate” or “stuffy,” then be its complete opposite.

There are brands that may face internal pushback from the higher-ups. Adding personality to your brand can be seen as risky for company reputation. If this is your situation, here’s how to present your case.

What You Can Do: Personify your brand. Think of it this way: If your brand were a person, what would s/he post on social media? How would s/he respond to a tweet or a comment? What content is important for her/him to share?

You Ignore the Influence of Your Followers

You can have all the science and indisputable facts as to why your product or service is the best choice. However, if an important influencer disagrees, then your case gets thrown out the window.

Instead of assuming what your followers want to read, go to the source. What posts on these influencer accounts get the most likes, comments, retweets or shares?

What You Can Do: Follow who your fans are following on Facebook by searching “Pages liked by people who like [insert brand name].” Access your Twitter analytics page and click the Followers tab to see what brands your twitter fans also follow. Once connected, share content from these influential brand pages to show your support.

What do you do to prevent losing social media follows? Share your strategy below.