Social media marketing has become a necessary and valuable marketing tool for businesses today. It’s one of the best ways to increase awareness and connect with an audience, but it can also help you grow your business and generate leads—if you do it right.

Social Media Marketing Pitfalls Your Business Should Avoid

So to give your business some practical direction, we’ve outlined seven social media marketing pitfalls to avoid.

1. Not having a strategy

Social media should be handled like any other marketing effort, starting with a solid strategy. Many companies dive into social media without a clear plan. They are “doing” social media, but their actions are scattered and lack focus. Good strategic planning is essential for successful social media marketing and should be the base of everything you do. Make sure your social media activities align with your overall marketing strategy, and set measurable goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure success.

2. Being on EVERY social media channel

If you attempt to be active on every popular social media platform, you will likely stretch yourself too thin and feel overwhelmed. Not every social media platform is right for every business or industry. Begin with one or two channels that suit your business and audience best. LinkedIn is often a great starting point for many businesses because it focuses on professional networking. Once you feel comfortable and have a regular posting routine, you can start to branch out to other channels when appropriate.

3. Not being consistent

One of the worst things you can do is set up a social media account and then leave it dormant for days or even weeks. One way to prevent this is to dedicate an employee to doing your social media so that it doesn’t get put on the back burner. Then, make sure they are posting at least a few times per week, but daily is preferred. Staying active is key to building your following and increasing brand awareness.

4. Using social media as a sales platform

While social media is helpful for building your business, it is not the place to pitch your products or services. People will quickly leave your page and unfollow you if you solely trying to sell. Incorporate the content marketing philosophy of adding value and providing relevant information into your social media content strategy. Social media provides an informal space for you to show off your company culture and thought leadership in your industry. Sharing industry articles and your blog posts will provide value for your followers and keep them engaged with your business.

5. Having an intern do it all

While it’s fine for interns to help execute your social media, it’s vital that there is someone from management that is driving the strategy, planning and content. If not, then your social media marketing can quickly become unaligned with your brand. Just like you wouldn’t send an intern alone to a tradeshow or press conference, you shouldn’t have them posting content online without strategic guidance and oversight.

6. Not engaging with followers

Social media should not be a one-way street. To be successful and build a following that matters, you have to be social! Share others’ posts on Facebook. Ask questions. Answer questions. Retweet. Share articles. Thank people for retweeting your posts. Repin. Like others’ posts. These are all ways to be involved in social media. The more engagement, the better; so don’t forget the social in social media!

7. Not tracking analytics and KPIs

Why set KPIs and measurable goals if you aren’t tracking the results? Social media should be treated the same as your other marketing activities and properly measured. You can’t assume that simply keeping tracking of the number of fans or followers is a good enough indication of success. Social media channels have matured to the point where there is an increasingly high level of analytics behind them.

So be sure to keep a close eye on your social media analytics such as Facebook Insights, LinkedIn Page Statistics and Pinterest Analytics. There are also tons of third-party social media tracking tools out there to help you measure the success of your social media and gain additional insights as well. Here are 5 recommended tools for social media management and measurement.

Your company’s website analytics (such as Google Analytics or more advanced analytic tools) can also be a great measurement tool to tell you how much website, blog and landing page traffic your social media channels are actually generating. When a visitor from social media is guided to a lead-generating landing page, it can move from what is nothing more than a fan or follower to an actual lead or potential customer. This is where analytics can help you prove the true value of your social media efforts, by keeping track of social-to-visit-to-lead metrics.

While there are many firms on social media, not every company is seeing the value or reaping the rewards of their efforts. Be sure you are not falling into these pitfalls, and you’ll begin to realize the real value that social media can bring to your marketing strategy and business.