Many people have no real clue how hard it is to market themselves on social media, usually underestimating the scope of it all. How so? Think of all the things you have to do – you’ve got to come up with an effective method, constantly produce material, engage with the audience, address comments and concerns and sell yourself somewhere in there.
In fact, international companies with a large social media dedicated team still have a hard time doing social media marketing well. As a small business, it’s not surprising that you’re making some major blunders with your digital marketing.
5 Mistakes Businesses Make With Their Social Media Marketing Campaign
You’re Trying Too Hard To Be Social
How many times have you found a company on Twitter or Facebook to learn they’ve not published anything in years? You may think something is wrong with the brand and it doesn’t generate any value for you. The problem may be more about spreading one’s self too thin and not engaging with customers. There are a plethora of social media networks, but you should focus only on ones that your target audience uses.
You Don’t Engage With The Audience
Don’t view social media as a place where you stand up in front of everyone and inform them of what’s going on. Instead, see social media as two people sitting down and talking at a local coffee shop.
Social media is about asking questions, exchanging ideas, learning about new things and sharing what you’ve learned with others. If you don’t make an effort to learn what interests your audience, you’re not going to get very far with your business, and you won’t establish a loyal brand of customers.
According to a survey, over 67% of people go to social media for their customer service needs and want immediate results. Over 50% of Facebook users tend to hear back from companies in one day, but Twitter reduces that number even further – just two hours typically. If you don’t engage with your audience on social media, you’re doing more harm than good.
Discounting The Negative Reviews
Another huge mistake businesses often make is ignoring the negative reviews that have popped up on social media. Instead of ignoring them, consider using the situation to turn it into a positive experience for the reviewer. You want to show upset customers that you care about them (and their business).
Faceless companies are often regarded as cold and undeserving of staying in business. However, social media lets you break the ice and change how people perceive you. Your interactions with customers can rectify the situation and draw more business to your website.
You’re Trying Too Hard To Sell
While your end goal is to make a sell, it shouldn’t be so obvious. People use social media as an escape from traditional forms of advertising. They love social media because of the interactions and content. Make sure that you engage with your audience then focus on selling later. You can use content to sell yourself and your product/service. Sell yourself using content that relates to your business – a blog that sends them to your website or videos that teach them something important.
You Find It’s Too Much Work
If you feel that running your company and addressing the social media accounts it a bit much, then it’s your sign that you’ve taken on too much work. Spreading yourself too thin will have a negative effect on the business. Consider hiring an in-house professional to do the social media marketing for you, or you can hire a freelancer to deal with it. This leaves you time to focus on the business.