Are You Making These Social Media Mistakes?
Filed Under Social Marketing
Nearly 90% of small businesses network with their customers online, promote services and products and reach out to potential customers. Social media is an essential part of marketing online because there are hundreds of millions of users to be reached.
While social networking is one of the most popular ways to market your company, there are several mistakes that are made all too often by small business owners. These mistakes lead to missed opportunities.
Make sure you are not missing out on getting the most from your social media marketing and avoid some of these common mistakes:
Thinking social media marketing is free.
Sure, social media sites are free to join and use. But if you fail to make any sort of investment in your social networking strategy, then you are going to fall far short of your desired results. You will need to consider spending money on sponsored posts, advertisements, plus establishing a team for the sole purpose of social marketing.
If you are assigning staff members to social network duties in addition to their regular tasks, then you are short-changing both areas of your business. You need to have a person or persons who will be able to focus on engaging and interacting with loyal customers and reaching out to potential customers.
Failing to respond to customers.
Social media marketing is not a one-way street. You cannot simply blast a bunch of product information and call it a day. There are two sides to social media, a give and take. If you want to be successful online, you need to be engaging with the fans. When a fan reaches out to you through social media, you need to respond quickly.
Social interaction online is what Web 2.0 is all about. Start conversations, join in on existing ones and reply whenever someone asks you a question. The more you engage with your fan base, the wider your reach will be.
Find out what your target audience is talking about and use that information to get conversations started. Track your metrics in order to see what is working best and what needs improvement.
Talking business all the time.
It is important to remember that you are reaching out to people, not just consumers. You cannot spend all of your efforts on bombarding your fans with business talk. They want more. They want conversation and fun. Social media is about entertainment.
You can post about your products and services, but don’t let that be all you talk about through your social networks. Post pictures and videos. Hold contests and special giveaways. Use your natural tone of voice in everything you post.
Make sure your customers know that there is a bona fide person at the other end of the computer and take interest in what they think and what they say. Use your social media as a way to connect on a deeper level with your customers.
Every business can benefit from social media, so long as you are doing everything you can to get the most from it. Avoid missing out on a strong marketing strategy by planning effectively.
What mistakes have you made with your social marketing? What changes have you made to get the most out of social networks for your business?
Comments
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Sstanko2008
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Dawn Pigoni, IVAA Member
