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It's very easy to get involved in social media marketing. After all, using the sites is free, and most people are familiar with the sites because they use them personally. In fact, social media marketing is a great way to communicate with customers, because most people belong to at least one social media site. 

 However, because the sites are so easy to use, it can be really easy to make grave mistakes that damage your brand and your reputation. That's why this article was written. Here are some mistakes you have to avoid when you use social media to do your marketing.

The first mistake a lot of people make is to forget to be professional. Sure, you might use Facebook for your own personal reasons. However, you have to remember that when you are using Facebook on behalf of your business, you really need to keep in mind that you are a business owner. That means you don't post off-color jokes or pictures of your children unless you know for a fact that your target market would be enriched by what you are posting. If you don't know what your target market would enjoy, you need to do a bit more work with defining your target market.

Don't make the mistake of ignoring people. Social media is fundamentally social. That's why it's a good idea to make sure that when people follow you, you follow them back. When they comment on something you've written, comment back. Engaging with people can create loyalty, since a lot of businesses make this mistake.

Avoid never posting new information. In the world of social media, things move fast. That means your post from three weeks ago was forgotten about...three weeks ago. If you want to stay fresh in people's minds, you need to make sure you're posting regularly. You don't want to overdo it, but you do have to actually do it!

Make sure you don't make the mistake of posting boring things that have been seen before. Part of the reason that social media works so well is that your followers can share your information with their networks, which gives you a whole new audience. However, that can't  happen if you never post anything worth sharing. Check out news sites and blogs in your industry to make sure you catch all the things that are going on, that your customers would want to know about.

Avoid ignoring the competition. You have to always know what your competition is doing; not so you copy them, but so you know how you can zig when they zag. This is a great way to see what works and doesn't work for someone who is in a similar situation to you.

After reading this article, you should be better prepared to avoid these social media marketing mistakes. If you stay away from those mistakes, you are going to still be able to build relationships and communicated effectively with the people you want to reach. Remember the information here, and you'll be able to do it well.