Mastering social media marketing isn’t rocket science. Once you get the hang of what you’re doing, it’s easy to figure out how social media can benefit your business. With technology constantly growing and new apps regularly being released, getting the hang of new products to promote your company can be a cakewalk. As easy as it seems, there is a small set of skills required to use social media when promoting your business.
You’ve probably seen these mistakes made more often than not and vowed to never make them but sometimes, they’re inevitable.
Avoid the Hiatus
For some reason, the millennial generation has a weird habit of taking a short hiatus from sites like Facebook and Instagram. This involves the act of either deactivating your page for a short period of time or not updating/responding to anyone.
This is bad for business. Unless you run an ice cream shop and decided that nobody wants to buy Rocky Road in the middle of December, walking away for even a week can be detrimental to your brand.
If you’re posting updates once a day, that’s plenty enough. If your audience expects something from you on a daily basis, you are to do nothing but please. Walking away can relay the message that you are unreliable and absent when needed.
Repeats
This is probably more of an accident than a mistake, but it happens so often that it’s hard to ignore. Repeating yourself or reposting an old blurb cannot be done smoothly. For some reason, nobody can remember a birthday without the help of Facebook but something you posted 6 months ago is glued in their minds. Repeating yourself makes you look boring and uncreative. Is your business the same?
As terrible as that may seem, if you have the time to wish ‘happy birthdays’ or ‘congratulations’ to some of your followers, don’t post the same picture to every single person. This makes you look like a robot. People don’t want an automated response from you, they want originality.
Don’t be a Hater
As annoying as that phrase can be, it’s true. While voicing your opinion is usually admired, being a hater is not. Nobody wants a negative Nancy on their friends list or following, especially if this is a professional business you’re running. Trashing the competition or brand names doesn’t make you look more successful, it makes you appear as an immature child who cannot bear to lose a battle.
It’s safe to say that as a small business, there will always be a bigger and more successful brand. Handle the competition like champ and work hard to change your status.
Me, Me, Me
This is absolutely untrue. It is not all about you and your business. Well, your page should be entirely dedicated to your business. If you’re logged into your personal social media account, don’t be boring. Constantly promoting your company is annoying. People understand that you have a brand to promote and success to gain but they’ve added your page to get to know you!
Developing a relationship or even a friendship with a long term client can be pretty normal. If you’re shoving promotion after promotion down their throat on every account you own, it’s a sure way to drive someone away. In fact, they’ll go running in the opposite direction.
Target Your Audience
Your audience is the obvious target when marketing via social media. Once you have received their approval and interest, it’s easier than it seems to get sidetracked and move on to new clients.
Remember, each individual who has chosen to follow or like your brand needs attention. Be sure to provide as much for them as you would for someone you’re trying to gain as a client. You can lose followers just as quickly as you have gained them.
Contact us today if you want to learn more!
