Melbourne Social Co Junior Account Manager

Five Common Social Media Mistakes and How to Avoid Making Them

Nobody’s perfect in the world of social media, and it’s fair to say we’ve all made mistakes! We’re here to help identify the most common social media mistakes and how to best avoid making them.

Mistake #1 – Posting quantity over quality

One incredibly commons social media mistake is choosing to focus on quantity over quality. Posting too much is overwhelming and counterproductive; it doesn’t allow users to truly take in the content before being bombarded with another post from you. Quality content as opposed to a higher quantity of it will resonate far better with an audience and benefit you in the long run.

Mistake #2 – Trying to master EVERY social media platform

Social media has a lot to offer, many different platforms for one to choose from. Just because you can have several different social’s doesn’t mean you should. Don’t make the mistake of trying to spread yourself across too many different platforms because you will only end up diluting your message and content. Focus on the platforms that bet suit you, and eliminate those that aren’t as beneficial.

Mistake #3 – Not using hashtags

There is a common misconception that hashtags look spammy or they clutter a post and should be avoided at all costs, don’t make the mistake of believing that. Hashtags are so beneficial, not only do they help categorise your content, and make is easier to find, they generate increased engagement and exposure. Failing to use hashtags takes away a users chance to capitalize on engagement, hashtags should not be an oversight.

Mistake #4 – Ignoring you followers

One of the biggest social media mistakes you can make is neglecting you followers.  The statistics surrounding response on social are overwhelming. According to Sprout Social, 70% of people are more likely to use a brands product when they respond on social. Additionally, they reported that 65% of people have more brand loyalty. If you ignore you followers, it will impact you negatively. To avoid making this mistake, you must make your followers a priority, and always try your best to acknowledge and respond to them.

Mistake #5 – Not measuring your success/downfalls

Choosing not to measure your social media activity through some form of social listening tool is a huge mistake. If you don’t measure and assess what’s working for you and what isn’t, you could be wasting time, money and resources as well as missing out on other opportunities that measuring can afford you.


How many of these social media mistakes are you making? Want to chat to our team about the latest social media trends and how you can turn your blunders into wins?

Or perhaps you need some assistance creating amazing content for your social media feeds?

Get in touch with our team today!


Why Instagram Stories are a must for business in 2018

Why Instagram Stories are a must for business in 2018

Instagram Stories are a feature that Instagram introduced last year to fight off competition from Snapchat. The feature allows users to post photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours (unless you add them as a highlight on your profile, which stay there indefinitely). Instagram Stories are proving to be very effective in getting brand engagement for those who have embraced them already. So, what are you waiting for? Get insta story creating!

Fun facts:

  • 250 million people use Instagram Stories daily
  • Users spend 28 minutes more on Instagram now thanks to Stories
  • 33% of the most popular stories are from businesses
  • 20% of stories posted by businesses result in a direct message

Here are some ways to best utilise Instagram Stories for your business:

  1. A look behind the scenes

As a general rule, consumers love friendly, relatable brands. Stories is informal in nature, so use this to build a rapport with your followers. Show them the process of setting up a photoshoot, the planning that goes into an event or a product launch for instance.

  1. Gift unique offers

Try running ‘stories only’ competitions and putting discount codes up on Instagram Stories to build brand loyalty and reward those that check out all of your content. We all love a discount code or giveaway!

  1. Embrace geotagging and hashtags

Posts that feature one or more hashtags receive over 12% more engagement than those without and posts with a geotagged location get a whopping 79% more engagement. Another great benefit of adding tags to your posts is that you’ll get improved visibility as your post will be included in the Story ring for that area and hashtag. So, add in that hashtag and geotag location stat!

  1. Create polls

Adding a ‘poll’ sticker is a fabulous way to gather opinions from your followers and also get more engagement. The poll sticker allows you to ask your followers a question and customize the answers. E.g. What’s your favourite colour? Red or Green. Polls allow the audience to feel involved with the business and decision making. You get answers and they feel involved…win win!


Social media can be a confusing aspect of business for many people and that’s totally okay! If you think your business would benefit from a little help when it comes to Instagram and your other social channels, shoot us an email - we’d love to chat with you about your strategy!


A guide to using hashtags on social media

A guide to using hashtags on social media

Hashtags are a way of life in 2017.

In fact, the hashtag is so recognised that it was added to the Oxford dictionary in 2010!

But, despite the fact that we all know what they are, many small business owners are yet to unlock their benefits when it comes to promoting their businesses.

The right hashtag, (or combination of hashtags,) will increase the reach and exposure of your content. And by making yourself more discoverable on social media, you’re increasing your chances of attracting new followers, increasing engagement, and ultimately, increasing awareness for your brand.

Not sure how to make the most of hashtags on social media?

Our friends at The Social Co Academy and sharing their top hashtag do’s and don’ts in a new eBook. Click here to download it now.


4 ways to organically build your social media following

4 ways to organically build your social media following

If you’re currently using social media for your business, you would have noticed the increasing difficulty of growing your ‘likes’ or followers on social media organically. This is particularly frustrating for businesses who put time and effort into producing great content that then doesn’t get seen by the people who need to view it the most.

If you’re struggling to grow your social media following, there are a few things you can try today:

  1. Work with influencers:

Working with digital influencers is one of the most effective ways to grow your social media accounts. Through collaborations such as sponsored posts, influencer take-overs or competitions, you have the opportunity to tap into the thousands of followers of key influencers and in turn entice them to follow your business’s accounts.

  1. Host a competition:

At Melbourne Social Co, we are big fans of competitions for many great reasons! Competitions are a great way to encourage people to ‘like’ your Facebook page, or ‘follow’ your Instagram account as consumers have an added incentive of winning something. Hosting regular competitions will also help to increase your engagement rate, by encouraging comments and shares – all things that put your brand’s social media content in front of more people.

  1. Use the power of hashtags:

Hashtags are used for a good reason – they allow consumers interested in your business’s content, products and services to find you. The trick? Ensure you post at least 11 – 20 hashtags on every post and pick popular hashtags that potential followers could be searching. If you’re unsure where to search, try browsing through posts containing a hashtag you’re already having success with. Look to see if there is a trend of any other hashtags you could use and start using them!

  1. Post great content:

Along with influencer marketing, competitions and using the correct hashtags, it’s important to also post great content so that your new and existing followers want to stay connected to your business and engage with it on social media. To do this, ensure you are posting unique high-quality content that is suitable to your channels and do this on a regular basis. High-quality content could include original images, videos, flatlays and quotes that are relevant to your business and that provide value to your consumer.


Do you need help growing your social media following? Here at Melbourne Social Co, we are experts at growing your social media platforms and keeping your audience engaged with unique and high-quality content.

Contact us today to find out more about the services we offer e: [email protected] – P: 1300 386 165.

 

 

 

 

 


Instagram for business

Which Instagram Archetype Are You?

We are slightly obsessed with Instagram here at Melbourne Social Co and considering we spend a bit too much time scrolling through our feeds, we’ve noticed a few different user trends emerging.

From the foodie, to the hashtagger, to the selfie queen… Read on below to find out which archetype category you fall into!

The Foodie:

The name says it all doesn’t it? This Instagram user loves to snap every meal they have, and every coffee they drink. So don’t you dare touch your food before they photograph it! They are commonly found at all of the cool cafes and restaurants... especially those known to have great lighting and stunning interiors! 

The Hashtagger:

Perhaps they’re on the hunt for more followers or maybe they need a lesson or two in hashtagging etiquette, either way we see this Instagram type pop up on our feeds all too often! You know you’re a hashtager if you post at least 15 – 20 hashtags per post, and sometimes even comment on your own posts multiple times with the tags!

The Selfie Queen:

This Instagram user has a good chance at becoming the next Kim Kardashian with the number of selfies they take! It doesn’t matter where they are or what they’re doing, it’s always a great time for a #selfie!

The Baby (or pet) Lover: 

The baby (or pet) lover has a feed filled with pictures of their children or their fur-babies. They are their pride and joy and they love to capture all the cute and quirky things that they get up to.

The Fitness Guru:

The fitness guru loves to post snaps of their meal preparation, gym workouts and amazing bodies. They are experts in their field and their feeds are positive and inspiring!

Do you fit in any of these Instagram archetypes or have we left any out? Comment and share which one you are below.


If you need help using Instagram for your business, then get in touch with our team of digital marketing experts at Melbourne Social Co today.

e: [email protected] – P: 1300 386 165


Content Creation by Melbourne Social Co

Social Media Terminology 101

Sometimes the world of digital marketing and social media can seem hard to understand, that’s why we thought we’d share with you some of the most commonly used terms in social media so you can start to get your head around this essential marketing tool.

Common social media marketing terminology:

SEO: Perhaps one of the most important terms for all businesses to know is SEO – which stands for Search Engine Optimisation. Search Engine Optimisation refers to implementing strategies and techniques to improve the quality of unpaid traffic to a website from search engines.

Hashtag: A hashtag is used to categorise content on social media platforms and make it searchable for consumers and audiences. An example could be #fashion.

Engagement Rate: Here at Melbourne Social Co we are big believers in measuring the engagement rate of your social media marketing content. But what does it mean? Engagement rate refers to the amount of times people have clicked, liked and shared your content on any given platform.

Facebook Advertising: Advertising on Facebook has quickly become a huge part of any business marketing strategy. It refers to paying to “boost” posts on Facebook so more people can see the content and engage, or to create banners or posts with varying objectives to target your consumer. Facebook advertising can be tailored to a range of demographic variables from location, age, gender and interests.

Re-tweet: This term comes from Twitter and happens when another account shares the tweet you have posted so that their followers can also see the content regardless if they are following you or not. Re-tweeting is a great way to make your twitter account and content visible.

Snapchat: Loved by millennials, Snapchat is a social media platform where you can send pictures or videos of your day-to-day life with a 10-second time limit to your choice of friends. You can send “stories”, which means all your friends can view the 10-second media for the next day or so, or send images directly to a person for a one-time only viewing.

Instagram: One of the most on-trend social media marketing platforms right now is Instagram, a great way to share images to your followers in a visual, creative and engaging way.

Pinterest: Commonly referred to as the new ‘Google’ of image searching, Pinterest is a way to create visual boards of images on various topics that have link backs to your business or personal website or other sites of interest.

GIF: GIF is an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format, which means small-animated images that consumers love!

Handle: This term refers to the name of someone’s social media account. For example, our Instagram handle is @melbournesocialco.

Need help figuring out other social media lingo or social media in general? We have a range of packages and services available for your business, including content creation and distribution and social media 101 training.

Contact us: e: [email protected]