Do you use social networks to reach and expand your audience? If you landed on this page, your response is probably yes or you are considering it. In either case, it is important you understand the functioning of social media marketing, focus on successful strategies and avoid common mistakes so you can get the most from your social media marketing campaign.
I have listed below five commonly made mistakes that have proven to have negative consequences to social media marketing campaigns. Avoid these mistakes like the plague.
Posting irrelevant content. It is important to always share content your audience will consider valuable. If you run out of ideas, have "writer's block," or can't find interesting content, wait until you have interesting information to post. Your followers expect information relevant to your niche and their interests and will go elsewhere if you continually post extraneous content. Put together a list of resources to share when you are short of ideas. Track the popularity of your articles to avoid publishing disappointing material and focus on those areas that are popular. Keep in mind, trends change continually and its important to stay ahead of the curve in your area of expertise.
Forgetting to focus on objectives. Always remember your goal is to generate sales. When operating on a social network It is easy to be drawn into activities to increase your popularity and gain as many friends and followers as possible. Increasing your audience increases your potential customers; but, it is pointless to target subscribers who are not interested in buying your product. Instead, focus on existing and potential customers and measure success by sales generated.
Allowing competitors to pass you by. The world of social networking changes rapidly. Stay abreast of trends and new websites. Subscribe to social media marketing newsletters and communicate frequently with your customers. Find out which networks your followers are using and join new sites before your competitors. Look for original ways to use just-released features to promote your products.
Mingling personal and professional activities on your business social media site. Always keep your professional activities on social networks separate from your personal account. Create a personal account to stay in touch with friends and family and make sure this account remains private. Encourage your partners or employees to do the same. Do not use your official profiles to share information about your personal life. If want to have a connection with your customers, keep them updated on your projects or share pictures of yourself at work. Do not share anything that is not related to your business.
Allowing yourself to be pulled into an argument. Avoid arguments with people on your social networks even if you are sending private messages. It is impossible to avoid angry customers or people who simply want to post negative comments on your pages, but how you deal with them will reflect on your professionalism. Encourage comments from your followers and make them feel safe in sharing their opinion with you. Always respond in a professional and courteous manner. Look for ways to resolve their issue; e.g., offer a refund or send a replacement.
Using social media as a marketing strategy can be fun and extremely rewarding in many ways. But, to make it really profitable you must avoid the above mistakes at all cost. Ignoring them could negate the hard work you put into developing your social media marketing campaign. Set monthly goals for your campaign and regularly assess your success. Be flexible and make adjustments when necessary.