We’ve all seen how social media marketing can take a small mom and pop business and make them a worldwide, household name. Social media takes word-of-mouth and elevates it to a whole new level. When social media marketing is handled properly it can help a business achieve success. However, if it is not done properly then it can quickly plummet a business to the bottom. You must learn to manage social media correctly to avoid a negative effect on your business.
What are some of the common mistakes when it comes to social media marketing?
Social media marketing takes planning and forethought. If you do not have a social media plan then that is your first mistake. A plan is an outline of where you want to go and how you plan to get there. A solid social media plan will help prevent mistakes by helping you to focus on your goal. Some common social media mistakes are:
- Random Posting – All content posted via social media needs to be focused towards your target audience and to represent your brand well. Stay on target and remain focused. Don’t just put out random posts in order to get something out there. Remember, if it’s not relevant then it is useless.
- Personal Instead of Business – While social media is meant to be social, remember that you need to stay in a business mindset. Your business profiles should be for exactly that, business. That doesn’t mean you can’t relate to your audience, but you don’t want to tell them about the fish you cooked for your kids either. You need content that people can relate to that makes you more personable, but you must always keep a business mindset.
- Using the Same Content – While it is great to link your social media profiles to your website, there is always a need for fresh content. Don’t just cross promote the same content and think that it’s going to be enough because it won’t be. Keep content fresh.
- Post and Watch – Posting content once a month and then sitting back and waiting for something amazing to happen is a waste of your time. Content needs to be streaming constantly. It keeps people coming back for more when you have something new to say.
- Giving Away TOO Much Information – While you want to always put out new information, you don’t want to give away all your secrets either. Once you do that, why should anyone come back? You’ve already said everything you needed to say. Keep content fresh and new, but as with anything, give them morsels and not a meal.
- Ignoring Your Audience – When people read your posts they often have something to say and so they will comment. If you ignore these comments then you are ignoring your audience. No one likes to be ignored. We like to know that when we say something, someone is listening. If you ignore your audience eventually they just won’t visit your profile anymore.
- Sales, Sales, Sales – While you may be selling a product or service, if everything you have to say is a sales pitch then people will eventually get turned off. Customers do not want to feel like every time they visit a site you have nothing to say except “buy me”. You want an even mix of sales and information flowing. People like knowledge and they like to buy things, but too much of the sales approach can turn your audience over to the competition.
Expect results from you social media marketing efforts
It’s proven that a well developed social media marketing plan that is used properly can be a very powerful marketing tool. Avoiding the mistakes listed above will help you to stay on the path to success and not failure.
There are many pitfalls in social media and there is a lot to consider in planning your social media strategy. By joining a community like Training Hangout, you will gain knowledge in these areas while networking with other like minded professionals. Training Hangout offers support, question and answer sessions and access to everything you need to know to make money and grow your business using social media.