Social-media mistakes you might not know you’re making

1) Only posting on weekdays. It's plausible to assume that it's ineffective to post on weekends, but traffic on social media is very high then. So, don't limit your postings to the five-day work week.

2) Being too boring. Due to the endless barrage of posts and tweets out  there, it's a challenge to become a priority in the daily routine of your audience. You must find a way to pique their interest in a profound way. Here are some ways to achieve that:

• Use humor. People enjoy jokes, memes, witty diagrams, etc.
• Use images. If you take a look at the direction social media is going, you'll notice that it's becoming image-oriented (Pinterest, Facebook, Tumblr). Take that as a sign that images are effective.
• Use eye-catching statistics. Who doesn't love an interesting stat? Especially when it's about something you care about or are interested in.
• Create an emotional connection. If you observe the successful brands on social media, you will notice that they aim to create an emotional connection with their audiences.
• Catch them off guard. Avoid the "same-thing-different-day" syndrome. Keep it interesting by throwing in new things from time to time.

Source: Amy McIlwain, www.FinancialSocialMedia.com