2024 is here! 🎉

To kick off a New Year of social media ahead, we’re here to bring you our Top 7 Social Media Mistakes in 2023. 

The final answer, number 1, is an easy trap to fall into for any business, community, or nonprofit. 

Honestly, they’ve all crept up on us a time or two. 

So as you’re reading, keep your New Year’s resolution list open to not only new systems and ideas to add in, but also old practices that aren’t worth your time or energy anymore. 

It’s 2024, people. 

Time to streamline and focus. 😎

7. Over-Prioritizing Vanity Metrics

The temptation to chase after high follower counts, views, and likes can be incredibly alluring. However, focusing solely on these vanity metrics can lead to a misleading representation of success. 

Remember, a high number of followers doesn’t guarantee active participation or interaction with your content. 

A viral video doesn’t mean any of those viewers are aligned with your overall purpose or community.

If you want metrics to focus on, try:

• Comments
• Shares
• Saves

And if you really can’t get around your view or follower goal, at least try not to over-prioritize it. 

Celebrate your other wins and stay focused on producing valuable content for your community, rather than chasing every viral trend out there.

6. Content Creation Burn Out

Who hasn’t over-committed to a content creation goal from time to time?

Hey, we’ve been there! Sometimes it is just too much to keep up with.

Unfortunately, the inconsistency in posting content that comes with content creation burnout can adversely affect more than just your social media presence. 

Constantly pushing yourself to produce content without adequate breaks can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Burnout can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and exhaustion, affecting your overall productivity and creativity. 

Nobody wants that. Some part of this content creation task is supposed to be fun. 

Avoid risk of burnout and ensure sustainability of your content creation efforts with these practices:

• Set Realistic Goals – aligning with the amount of time/energy you actually have for this long-term
• Add Improvements Slowly – focus more on output than perfection, you can add in improvement tweaks along the way
• Outsource or Collaborate – find ways to outsource tasks or collaborate with others to lighten the burden on yourself

While consistency with your content is absolutely key, it should not come at the expense of your mental and physical health.

5. Failing to Adapt to Changes

The social media landscape is dynamic, and what worked yesterday might not work today. Failing to listen to feedback and adapt to changing trends can hinder your progress. 

Stay agile, listen to your audience, and adapt your strategies accordingly.

For example, two years ago this time, we couldn’t get enough of talking about TikTok.

While TikTok still is an effective tool to maximize your digital impact, the rules have changed.

Not only are there new ways to use the app, but the algorithm is not what it used to be.

A few years ago if you were on TikTok, you were still somewhat “early.” Nowadays, the app is maturing, with more users than ever. 

Viewership might not be as easy to come by as it once did. Especially not if you ignore the changes in trends over the past two years of app maturity.

4. Neglecting Analytics Checks

Checking your analytics does not need to be complicated or time-consuming, but it is important for growth of your social media skill and outreach.

Analytics provide a wealth of information about audience behavior, content performance, and the effectiveness of your social media strategies. 

Failing to regularly check and interpret these analytics means missing out on valuable data that could significantly impact your content strategy.

To keep this simple in 2024, consider picking 1-3 metrics that you want to keep track of throughout this year.

• IG Reels that get the most follows?
• YouTube videos with the highest click through rate?
• Emails with the most clicks?

Focusing on a few analytics and goals rather than overwhelming yourself with all of the data that is out there will help you steadily improve over time.

3. Prioritizing Hashtags Over Keywords

Honestly, hashtags aren’t what they used to be.

Many social media experts are even dropping them altogether.

While we still find a few focused hashtags to be worth including in your posts, we would certainly place a higher importance on the use of keywords.

Hashtags categorize content based on topics and trends, making it easier for users to find related posts. 

However, keywords embedded within your content provide context and improve searchability both within and outside social media platforms.

We’d much rather see a post with a caption full of keywords, along with two or three hashtags than a post with one or two unrelated words and a boatload of hashtags.

See, we really do have to adapt!

2. Over or Underusing Calls to Action

The ideal number of calls to action in a post is one.

If you overload your posts with too many CTAs, it can confuse people. They might not know what to do and might decide not to do anything at all.

If you don’t use enough CTAs, you’re leaving your audience hanging. They won’t know what to do next and probably will just make their way to the next video on their feed. 

If you want them to sign up for something, tell them. 

If you want them to follow you, tell them.

Use clear and short CTAs that match what you want to achieve. When you include a solid, interesting CTA, it encourages people to join in and helps you meet your social media goals.

And finally…

Last, but certainly not least…

1.Overusing AI

We get it – AI is a huge buzzword right now and it’s utility is not going away anytime soon… if ever. But that doesn’t mean we get to use artificial intelligence for everything.

Say that with me.

“I cannot use AI for everything.”

If you rely too much on artificial intelligence for social media, things can get a bit robotic. 

You might end up with content that feels a bit fake and doesn’t connect with people like it should.

Prioritize using AI for guidance, not governance. 

Let it help you with tasks and brainstorming, but make sure your own touch is added in. 

Finding that balance between using AI to make things easier and making your content authentic is a new challenge for many of us, but it will be one of the most important balances for us to master in 2024. 

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