10 Big Social Media Mistakes in 2023 ARCHIVE POST

10 Social Media Mistakes Most Small Businesses Make

  • Since 2023, the world hasn’t just shifted—it’s been completely recalibrated. If 2023 was the year of “What is AI?“, 2025 and 2026 are the years of “How deeply is AI integrated into my business?”

    As someone who saw the power of MySpace and Facebook before they were “cool,” I can tell you: this shift is bigger. Here is what has changed and why it matters for your Reputation Architecture.

    Faceless brands could have got away with it in 2023. We now need personality behind the brand, and each member of staff is now an advocate of that brand.

🚀 10 Social Media Mistakes Most Small Businesses Make (And How to Fix Them)

In my 20+ years of bridging the gap between healthcare and digital marketing, I’ve seen one thing clearly: Healthcare professionals and small business owners don’t just need visibility—they need a trusted voice. Every day, businesses jump into social media because “the phone isn’t ringing.” But here is the hard truth: Likes do not pay the bills. Social media is about understanding etiquette, strategy, and community. If you’re making these 10 mistakes, you’re not just losing followers—you’re losing reputation.

1. The “Everywhere at Once” Trap

I always tell my clients: You don’t need to be on every platform. A cake maker belongs on Instagram and Pinterest (visual heaven!). A solicitor belongs on LinkedIn. Don’t spread yourself thin; be brilliant where your audience actually lives.

2. The Lazy “Auto-Post” Link

Nothing frustrates me more than seeing a Facebook post that says “Posted via Twitter” with a half-cut sentence. Each platform has its own “dialect.” Respect the platform and your audience will respect you.

3. “Post and Pray” (No Strategy)

Content without strategy is just noise. You can’t throw content out and expect 1 million followers in 30 minutes. No input, no output. You need a roadmap that aligns with your business goals.

4. Digital Ghosting (Not Replying)

What’s the point of building a community if you won’t talk to them? Even giants like McDonald’s and Nike reply to their audience. If they aren’t too big to be polite, neither are you. Social media is a two-way street.

5. The “Megaphone” Mentality (Selling Too Much)

Stop shoving your products in people’s faces. It’s like the person at a networking event who hands out business cards before saying hello. Build a relationship first. Give value. The sale is the byproduct of the trust you build.

6. Ignoring the Greatest Free Gift: Google Business Profile

If you aren’t using Google My Business (now Google Business Profile), you are leaving money on the table. It is the single best way for local patients and customers to find you.

7. Missing the UGC Wave

User-Generated Content (UGC) is the secret sauce. People trust people, not logos. When your customers tell your story for you, that’s when a post goes viral.

8. Forgetting the “Where” (Geotagging)

Want to rank higher on Google? Geotag your images. It’s a simple SEO trick that tells Google exactly where you are and who you serve.

9. The “Vintage” Website

If your website is slow, lacks meta-descriptions, or isn’t mobile-friendly, your social media efforts are wasted. Your website is your digital front door—keep it polished!

10. The “I Know It All” Trap (Ignoring AI)

The biggest mistake is stopping your education. In 2026, if you aren’t learning how AI and Reputation Architecture can scale your business, you’re falling behind. Digital moves fast—stay curious!

Using social is about understanding etiquette

Every day, more and more small businesses are making the jump to social media and SEO it may be because the phone is not ringing, Likes do not pay the Bills!

 

Understand the value of it of digital. It can be the most powerful marketing tool when it is done correctly, and with a proper strategy behind it.

Without a strategy in place, you won’t be able to get any of the benefits from social media SEO and it’ll rub off on your brand. Here are * mistakes small businesses are making that you should avoid.

  1. Trying to take on too many platforms at once.

This is a common question asked to me, and something I always advise – You don’t need to be on every social media platform! Certain businesses, such as cake makers, should be on visual platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram, where they’ll relish. Why would solicitors need to be on/having businesses such as solicitors or

1.1 not paying for adverts. Its pay to play on social try pixel and remarketing

      2. Connecting your Facebook/Twitter Posts

This is something that frustrates me whenever I see it. I can’t comprehend why people would have the – Posted Via Twitter or a half-Facebook link post with a sentence that stops halfway through. The companies who do that do so to make it appear as if they are active online, whereas it’s usually the opposite. They are different platforms, which need to be treated differently. Just because something may work on Facebook, it doesn’t mean that the same thing applies to every other platform that you use.

  1. Not having any type of social media strategy.

A very popular mistake!  You don’t need to dive straight in and just start throwing content out there, expecting your audience to find you magically and earn 1 million followers in your first half hour. You get back what you put in! No input no output!

  1. Not replying to your audience

A huge mistake, which is one of the most important, is not replying to your audience. What is the point of building up this community of yours, if you are not willing to respond to them? You aren’t on social media for the right reasons if that’s your behaviour. People are on social media to interact with people, you are defeating the purpose of being on there by just using it to promote what you want. Look at some of the bigger companies such as Mcdonalds’ or Nike, who have millions of followers, and still reply to their audience. They aren’t too big to not reply, so what makes you think you are any bigger than them that you

  1. Selling too much

Some people don’t seem to understand the concept of overselling their products/services. Similar to the people who go to networking events and just hand out their business cards, nobody is going to be buying from you or want to. You have to build a relationship with your community before you can then introduce your products to them. Swap the situation around, and you wouldn’t be too happy with someone constantly shoving their product in your face. You wouldn’t want it happening to yourself, so why do it to others?

6. Not using Google my Business this has to be the best free gift from google ever!

 

7 UGC… User-generated content is the way forward and still to this day is the only way of getting a post to go viral

 

8 Geotag your images for SEO this is the best way of ranking on GMB

 

9. Not updating your website. Checking that your website has had an audit is important. Meta descriptions key words images that are the right size check the speed. All the things that will bring in more leads

10. Measure your success. How many people move onto your website check google analytics. Always use the number of people who like, share, and comment as a gauge of how well your social is going. Measure your web success if you are on page 1 for your keywords and phrases.

The Sky’s the limit 10 big mistakes social and how we can keep you front of mind 

Paid

PPC – £400 (£300 to set up/manage, £100 for PPC)

  • No competition for paying ads for the search term “cocktail mixers wholesale”
  • Search volume is low – however, money spent will go far and more likely to convert
  • Lead Generation
  • This will target B2B

Insta Ads/FB Adds – £400 (£300 to set up/manage, £100 for Ads)

  • Website Traffic
  • Brand Awareness
  • Target the right audience
  • B2C

FB Pixel – £250 (£150 to set up/manage, £100 for Ads)

  • Automated ads for Brand Awareness/retargeting
  • Converts returning users that have visited your site

Organic

SEO Management – From £300

  • On page
  • Off-page
  • Technical

We’d be doing SEO for 2 sites your main site and the shop

SEO Blogs x2 – £300

Google My Business – £150

  • Manage account
  • Regularly post
  • Upload videos/pictures

Social

Facebook Management – From £150

  • Posting (1 p/w if £150)
  • Management of inbox
  • Sharing in groups
  • Adding to groups
  • B2C/B2B
  • Facebook Group (From +250, this is additional)

Instagram Management – From £150

  • Posting (2 p/w if £150)
  • Checking DMs
  • Growing following
  • B2C

Twitter Management – From £150

  • Posting (1 p/w if £150)
  • Listening platform
  • Sharing platform
  • B2C

LinkedIn Management – From £250

  • Provide content to share
  • Research leads
  • Contact leads
  • B2B

YouTube Management – From £250

  • Upload videos that we create
  • Special projects/big campaigns
  • Embed videos on blogs
  • Repurpose old videos

Pinterest – £250 one-off to set up (£50 thereafter to manage)

  • Pinterest Shop
  • Set up
  • Add video tutorials

TikTok – From £150

  • Create videos
  • Showcase products
  • Demonstrate cocktail hacks
  • B2C

Business Development

Affiliate Marketing – From £200

  • Build backlinks
  • Traditional Marketing (phoning)
  • Lead Generation
  • B2B

Email Marketing Management – From £250

  • Lead generation
  • Creating/sending/managing emails
  • Email lists

Business Acquisition – From £350

Podcast – From £150

Webinars – £300

Outbound Marketing – £150

Online PR – £200

Ebook – £700

Freebie Marketing – From £150

Earned

When another brand, influencer, publication, etc. mentions or covers your brand, product, or service in the content they create and publish

Republish

When you publish the same piece of content in the same medium, often after optimizing it to increase its results.

Common content types:

  • Social Media Message
  • Blog post
  • Course

who is the best social media agency? We are trying to be the best

 

google my business adds social media profiles

 

10. Stop learning about new things 10 big mistakes social

Here are some links where you can get more info

www.woorank.com is where you can check your website for free

https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/ is the lastest and best social news and training

https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/ Gary can predict the future check him out

https://searchengineland.com/ 

Good luck – Just remember to learn, improve, and implement is the key.