Eric HammisSocial media can be your best friend when it comes to digital marketing. But don’t turn your back on social media because it can quickly become your worst enemy. Of course, this all depends on how you use digital marketing as part of your plan. So let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes amongst businesses in the social media world.
The tortoise still beats the hare
Social media for businesses can be compared to the story about the tortoise and the hare. When businesses get started with social media, they are excited and blast out of the gates with electrifying content, leaving the rest of the competition in the dust. But after a while, they become complacent, putting their social media strategy to the side. That’s when the tortoise sneaks up and takes the crown.
You have to choose a steady pace and be in it for the long run. Continue to post and engage on a regular basis. If not, your social media campaign will fail. Also, don’t expect huge results right out of the gate. It’s going to take time to create a community and get the ball rolling.
Map it out
One of the biggest mistakes a business can make is not creating a plan before jumping in. You can’t expect to simply create posts and content on the fly and hope it takes off. Social media doesn’t work that way. Instead, you need to device a plan and make refinements along the way. This streamlines with your analytics, which means you have to constantly check the numbers to make sure your plan is working.
Grow thick skin
When you decide to put yourself out into the social media world, you’re certainly heading in with your chin first. But that’s OK. A lot of times, your followers are going to help you make improvements with their feedback. At other times, however, you will receive some negative attention, but it’s important to accept what people are saying and reply with a professional response. You don’t want to let your emotions work its way into your replies. If you do, an emotional response to a negative comment can really take a turn down an ugly road. And always respond. Not responding to comments can open up another whole can of worms. And trust us, if you think it’s going to go away quietly by not responding, you’re wrong.
It’s not all about you
Of course social media is about getting your brand out there and gaining awareness for your company. But you’re not going to accomplish that by only promoting yourself. Not all your followers are interested in just your products or services. So you have to provide a wide variety of content to keep your followers interested. A great way of doing this is by providing educational content that is geared around what you do.
Would you use the same strategy for basketball and hockey?
This is a hypothetical question, so no need to answer, although I’m sure you answered in your head just as I did. But the same question applies to social media. Not all social platforms have the same rules and characteristics, so why would you create the same strategy for each one? There’s many different variables for each social media channel, ranging from audience to the lingo used. So be sure you are creating content based on what those specific characteristics are. If you’re trying a social media channel that you aren’t sure of, take the time to get to the know the audience and how they communicate with each other.
Don’t be afraid
Social media mistakes are seen just about every day, but that’s because people aren’t taking the time to step back and think about what they’re posting. You have to look at social media as a collective whole, meaning that what you post is available to anyone and everyone who is on social media. But that’s an endless opportunity for marketing, and if used properly, it will serve you well.
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