With millions of monthly users per platform, social media is one of the most effective places to market your business. However, achieving the best marketing result for your business requires a skillful approach as there are some major issues you will need to avoid. The good news is you can find out about the most common of these issues below, and how to deal with them. Read on for more.
Trying to build a presence on every social media platform
Have you ever been to a restaurant with a menu so long that you wonder how they could possibly be good at making each dish? Of course, the truth of the matter is that they are not, and you can usually tell a good menu from a bad one because it will contain just a few items which are done well.
Of course, this thinking can also be applied to social media, in that having a presence on every single platform going is a bad idea. In fact, not only does it make things very difficult to manage for your marketing team, but also prevents you from maximizing your engagement on the platforms where your potential customers are most likely to be. With this in mind be sure to look at the demographics of each platform and match these carefully to the target customers for your business.
Failing to monitor your online reputation
Mentions and comments can be a double-edged sword when it comes to social media marketing. After all, it means happy customers can easily tag you online, which not only is great publicity but raises your profile, and provides valuable backlinks to your account. However, the same also goes for genuinely unhappy customers, as well as those who would launch an online smear campaign against your brand. After all, if someone searches your account comments, or your mentions and lots of negativity pops up, it is going to make them think twice about whether you are a business they wish to work with.
Fortunately, some tactics can help you manage your business’s reputation online. One of these is to have your marketing team keep a close eye on mentions and comments across all platforms. This is necessary because while you may not be active on every type of social media, it doesn’t mean people aren’t talking about you there.
Next, it is well worth your time to find out how to block someone on Instagram and other social media platforms. The reason being that if someone is spamming your account with negative comments blocking them will prevent this. However, it is worth noting that depending on the social media platform blocking someone may not prevent them from mentioning your business, which means you may need to take additional action.
Falling to interact with customers
Once again the whole point of your business being on social media is so that you can interact with your customers and target demographic. Unfortunately, one of the biggest mistakes that companies make is to ignore the comments that come their way.
The thing about ignoring comments is that it not only alienates the customers making them, but all the other people that may have seen their comment and your response as well. Indeed, even the most negative of experiences can be turned around in this way and show an audience of potentially interested customers just how much you care and how far you are willing to go to make things right, which truly is invaluable marketing.
Buying followers
In the race to attain social proof, it is tempting for many businesses to buy followers for their social media accounts. However, there is an issue of quality of quantity that needs to be understood here.
Yes, by buying fake followers it will seem as if your social media accounts are well subscribed. Unfortunately, precisely because these followers are fake, theft will not afford you any of the other important benefits associated with a larger following such as higher SEO ranking and engagement.
Instead, it is a much better approach to cultivate a smaller, but genuine following for your business’s social media accounts. Then, while fewer, the people that are your friends online will be more likely to engage, and interact with your brand, and ultimately will be real potential leads for your business.
Being too sales-focused
When it comes to being a business on social media, the clue really is in the title. It is a social place first and foremost and that means if you only shove sales content down the throats of your followers they aren’t going to be for very long.
That is why, when it comes to running a social media marketing campaign you need a light touch when it comes to product information, offers, and selling. Instead, look at your business’s social media accounts as a place to create a connection and rapport with people that are interested in your brand.
Indeed, some social media marketing experts suggest that the real value of the discipline lies in the opportunity to integrate your business into the potential customer’s everyday life, something that means you will always be the very first name they think of when the time comes for them to make a purchase.
Relying on written content
If a picture says a thousand words then a video can propel your social media marketing campaign into the stratosphere. Sadly, many businesses find it hard to get out of their comfort zones when it comes to creating visual content.
Of course, this is a tendency that needs to be rectified if you are going to use social media to its full marketing potential. With that in mind, why not start adding still images to your posts and build up to videos.
In fact, there are several options to consider when making video content including hiring a professional film crew or using an animation service. The latter being perfect if you don’t have anyone in the business that wants a starring role.
