Do’s and Don’ts to Succeed in Social Media Marketing

Are you just getting started with social media marketing?

Or have you been on a site for awhile but you’re not getting the results you want?

You need to learn the do’s and don’ts so that you can maximize your efforts on these sites. You’ll minimize the time and resources you invest on your social media marketing, and you’ll get more results in less time.

Here are the top do’s and don’ts to succeed in social media marketing:

Content

Creating the right content is a cornerstone of your social media campaign.

Some do’s for content creation include:

• Post often. The rules vary by the site, but you should aim to post on Facebook three to five times per day and on Twitter eight to 10 times per day.
  
• Share your own content. If you don’t have enough to keep up with your social media publishing demands, write more content.
  
• Share reliable sources. When you are curating content, make sure you read it first, and make sure it has something valuable to offer your readers and is from a reliable source.
  
• Share a variety of posts. Don’t create the same post type too often, and don’t share the same links too often. If you do share the same link (at all), make sure the posts are spaced out.

Some don’ts for sharing content include:

• Share too much. You want to stay top-of-mind, but you don’t want to look like a spammer. Post too much, and you’ll annoy and alienate your followers.
  
• Share irrelevant information. Don’t share filler content just to have something to post. Make sure that everything you share is narrowly focused for your target audience.
  
• Share other people’s content too frequently. Content curation is valuable, but oversharing other people’s content too often just promotes other brands over your own. Make sure you are maintaining the right balance.
  
• Be inconsistent. Don’t post a lot one week and then not at all the next. Your followers won’t know what to expect, and they won’t feel engaged with your brand.

Audience

Your audience is your core focus in your social media marketing.

Here are some do’s for how you should approach your audience:

• Define your target audience. Don’t go after likes and followers just for the sake of numbers. Make sure you are getting the audience who would actually be interested in your products and services.
  
• Create goals. “Get more followers” is not a great goal. However, “get 10 more followers per week” is a good goal because it is specific and easily measurable. Set and track goals for audience growth and engagement.
  
• Follow back. If someone follows you, follow them back to show that you are serious about relationship building. Also follow people who are likely to follow you back.
  
• When someone comments, comment back. If someone tags you, comment. If someone shares or retweets you, thank them. Engaging your audience will encourage more interaction, which will help you get more exposure.

Some don’ts for your audience include:

• Buy followers. The followers are almost always fake profiles, and they offer no real value to your company. Even if you use those inflated numbers to sell ads, you’ll lose your advertisers once they realize they aren’t getting the results they thought they would.
  
• Focus on sales. Sure, you want to increase your sales, but your audience wants to be entertained or educated. If you are always trying to sell them things, they will leave.
  
• Limit yourself to social media. Encourage your followers to go to your site, which is where they’ll become leads or customers.

User Engagement

User engagement is key to your success on social media.

Here’s how you can encourage it:

• Ask questions. Open-ended questions promote conversation, which will get your users talking and make them feel invested.
  
• Ask for opinions. People love to share their thoughts. Give them an opportunity to do it, and they will feel more committed to the conversation.
  
• If you want your followers to be engaged, you also need to be engaged. Respond to comments and encourage a real back-and-forth.
  
• Say thank you. When people share your content or retweet you, say thank you. People are helping you out by promoting your content, so be sure you show your gratitude or else they may not do it again.

A few things you should not do include:

• Asking for promotions. Again, no one likes to deal with spammers. If you ask people to share your content or promote your business, most will ignore you and stop following you.
  
• Ignore messages and comments. People go out of their way to send you a direct message or to comment on your posts. Ignoring these efforts tells followers that you don’t care.
  
• Get into fights. Always maintain a professional demeanor. Being rude or getting into a verbal sparring match will only make you look bad, no matter how poorly the other person is behaving. Hold up your reputation by rising above.

Use these tips and you’ll be well on your way to social media success!

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