How to Ruin Your Business with Social Media in 5 Steps
Filed Under Social Marketing
There is no doubt that social media has grown to become one of the most powerful tools for any business. When used correctly, it can build your brand, win new customers and help your business grow. But when it’s misused, social media can easily be the downfall of your business. It can be a destroyer of reputations if you don’t use it correctly.
If you worry that you might be making some big mistakes with your social media strategy, or if you haven’t even started using social networks for your business, then here are some of the top issues you need to be aware of in order to avoid destroying your business.
You’re Socially Awkward
Your online personality should be a direct reflection of your business personality. If your company is laid back and casual, then your social networking voice needs to be also. Trying to put on a stiff professional front could alienate your target audience. You should always be welcoming and engaging.
Your personal beliefs have no place in your online marketing strategy. Don’t bring up controversial issues in your posts because polarizing topics are not the best way to connect with your audience. This could easily lose you a large number of fans.
You Don’t Follow the Laws of Social Karma
What goes around comes around is a law that applies to the online world too. If you want to get value out, you have to put value in. Your fans want something worth reading when they follow a brand on social networks. If you are using all of your online time posting pictures of your new products but nothing else, you aren’t going to see a lot of interaction.
Fans want to be entertained, they want to learn something new, and they want something worth sharing with their own friends and followers. Failing to give them that will lead to no likes, no clicks, no sharing, and no conversions.
You Don’t Measure Your Results
It is not simply enough to just create an account or two, send out some tweets and wait for the sales to come. You need to measure in order to know that what you are doing is making a difference. Most users do not transcend immediately into new customers. Using analytics, you can see exactly how your social media use is helping you convert sales.
You Don’t Know About Metrics
Measuring metrics is an important part of the social media strategy. They are a way to track how successful your efforts are for your online marketing plan. Identify your key performance indicators for your business and measure them on a regular basis.
How many “Likes” your page gets on Facebook is not the best way to measure performance. If nobody is talking about your page, then it doesn’t matter how many people have just clicked the “Like” button on it. Instead, look at your engagement rate to see how many people are talking about the page online and how they are engaging with you.
You Put an Intern in Charge
Too many businesses have had to deal with some major fallout after an unqualified intern posted something inappropriate to the business’ social media page. This can lead to a lot of damage to a brand’s reputation.
You need to be certain that the person you put in charge of your social marketing is well-qualified for business marketing, not just personal social media use. What might be perfectly acceptable to post on a personal page can be completely wrong for your company.
Find a person who knows how to define your target audience and what to do to engage them. They should be able to use different types of media to build your audience and bring about more interaction. Consider using a social media specialist instead of passing the job along to a new intern.
What social media mistakes have you been guilty of?
Comments
-
-
Dawn Pigoni, IVAA Member
