Social media might seem easy, but it isn't. It's a lot more than just putting up a generic post or tweet and calling it a day.

The sad thing is, a lot of people make the same mistakes on social media over and over again. Even big brands.

Do you want to identify yourself as a social media newbie right off the bat?

Didn't think so.

Making sure you are using social media the correct way right off the bat is going to really pay off in the long run (and might even bring in a few potential clients).

Let's get to it.

#Using #Millions #Of #Hashtags

Here's a little secret. With rare exceptions, hashtags don't mean much on Twitter.

Yes, hashtags are awesome to find a bunch of people talking about a specific thing or event, like the Super Bowl.

But in most cases, they are either for fun, for a movement, or just plain useless.

Here's an example of a good use of hashtags.

Top Cities for Coffee Snobs http://t.co/nIXM2CFT9d RT for a chance to win a Redfin coffee tumbler! #NationalCoffeeDay pic.twitter.com/d90em4mWMW

— Redfin (@Redfin) September 29, 2014

Check out the Tweet above.

Notice even though RedFin is a real estate brand they capitalized on the National Coffee Day hashtag that was popular on Twitter.

This helped reach more people who could use their site without needing to use just a real estate specific hashtag. Another good use of a hashtag would be to highlight your own brand.

There are a lot of people with a bunch of hashtags in one Tweet, or even worse, hashtaging each word in a phrase.

Stick to just a hashtag or two in each tweet and you'll be fine.

Posting the Same Content Across All Social Channels

This is another biggie a lot of brands end up doing.

I get it, coming up with clever and interesting posts for social media is time consuming. But that doesn't mean you need to be taking the lazy way out.

The fact of the matter is, some content just works better across some social media channels as opposed to others.

Images are great for Pinterest, generally text is not.

Whereas you can get your point across in 140 characters pretty easily on Twitter, and super short Vine style videos work really well on Facebook.

The biggest thing you need to do is consider your audience. Who are you posting to and why?

Selling real estate and want to get people to click over to your website? Then TAKE GOOD PHOTOS.

Again, take good photos. Like actually take the five extra minutes to capture good images. Do a little photo editing, and boom fire those babies up on Pinterest.

Guess what happens?

The target market you are looking for: upper middle class women 35 years old who love to decorate; are going to be drawn into your photos. Perfect.

See what's happening above?

Brands are using Pinterest to drive traffic. Benjamin More has done a great job of not just selling paint, they are selling a style, a concept, a dream.

Yes, people dream about man caves.

That's what Pinterest does.

You just won't get the same effect posting this type of content on the other social media channels, so don't do it.

Like most things in life, taking the extra five minutes to do it right is going to end up playing to your advantage.

Forgetting You Are Human

Corporations are people too, remember even the Supreme Court thinks so!

And with the advent of social media it means you (and your brand) can't just be nameless faceless juggernauts anymore.

The circle is coming back to people not wanting to be customer #245786 of the giant mega multi-national corporation, instead they want to feel like companies actually care about the people who buy their stuff.

Inventive, eh?

The amazing thing is so many brands still aren't doing this.

Your brand can get major props from your clients and customers by just putting a small amount of effort into acting human every once in a while.

So how to do it?

Simple, interact. Don't always talk about your brand and try to actually have some fun.

15 homes ready for all the #Oktoberfest you can handle. (Bring a frosted mug!) | http://t.co/Ng7W4Kq6Iy pic.twitter.com/WKCVlrGze7

— Zillow (@zillow) September 28, 2014

See? Have a bit of fun.

First work on increasing your engagement.

Twitter is the absolute best for this.

You can just hop into any conversation and Tweetjack and it's totally cool. If you did the same thing in real life, people would stop inviting you to parties, but in the Twitterverse, you're good.

Another good rule of thumb is to respond to your @ replies. Even a simple thanks every once in a while can go a long way with a customer.

A tiny touch of interaction and engagement makes those warm fuzzies wake up in customers. Meaning there is a connection.

If you cared enough to say hey, or thanks, or share a joke, or even re-tweet with a customer that is built in loyalty right there.

@manbearjosh #HoorayForPossiblyYou

— Trulia (@trulia) September 30, 2014

Check out this little Twitter conversation above.

Trulia is running a contest online, and is doing a great job of interacting with every single person who tweets about it and personalizing that tweet.

Talk about building engagement!

Three Simple Rules for Success

These are the three biggest mistakes always being made on social media, even though there are countless articles from various social media experts all advising not to make any of them.

Booo people!

Instead just try this, do the opposite of the three headers up there and chances are you're actually going to be ahead of most other Realtors and real estate agents when it comes to social media.

If not, I'm sending the hashtag police after you!

Don't say I didn't warn you.