Social media marketing is one of the most effective ways for small businesses to expand a local reach to one that’s global. Even though social media marketing was slowly introduced in the early 90s with text messaging, the continuous stream of venues being introduced has made many businesses jump on the bandwagon in a frenzy. But jumping in with both feet without taking the time to learn social media marketing etiquette, as well as what venues would be most effective for your business and customer base, can lead to incorrect use and marketing failures. Read on to learn more about 10 ways businesses use social media incorrectly so your business can avoid making the same mistakes.
Contents
- 1 Drive-By Postings
- 2 Post and Disappear
- 3 Over-the-Top Self-Promotion
- 4 Ignore Negative Online Feedback and Comments
- 5 Lack of Marketing Research
- 6 Poorly Designed Presentation
- 7 Inaccessibility
- 8 Unrealistic Expectations
- 9 Biting Off More than You Can Chew
- 10 Tunnel Vision
- About the author: List contributed by Lucy Harper from TouchpointDigital.co.uk
1 Drive-By Postings
Social media marketing is most effective when used with consistency. Occasional, random drive-by postings show customers you’re not serious about interacting with them and have more interest in accruing sales and followers. While those are the goals, they must occur in conjunction with connecting with consumers.
2 Post and Disappear
Nothing turns people off more than a business’s social media post in which they ask a question to engage followers, and then never come back to interact.
3 Over-the-Top Self-Promotion
Social media is an effective way to promote your products and services, but you’ll lose more followers than you’ll gain if every post is a spammy variation of “Me, Myself and I…”
4 Ignore Negative Online Feedback and Comments
Unfortunately, not every subscriber or customer will be happy. The internet has made it easier to leave negative comments and feedback, so you’re likely to receive some on occasion. Respond in a polite, professional manner as not responding at all makes it look like you don’t care.
5 Lack of Marketing Research
Professional market research agencies can help you learn about your consumer base and what types of social media marketing would be most effective in reaching them.
6 Poorly Designed Presentation
Since social media marketing often leads consumers back to your business website or brick and mortar store, it’s important to make a good first impression with professional design. An internet marketing agency can help you with a logo, website design and other important parts of your brand and visual presentation.
7 Inaccessibility
Connection and interaction are essential to effective online marketing. Respond to comments, answer emails and make it easy for consumers to contact you with feedback or questions.
8 Unrealistic Expectations
The overnight appearance of new social media venues doesn’t mean that online marketing is going to lead your business to become an overnight success. Set realistic expectations, knowing that business growth and expansion take time.
9 Biting Off More than You Can Chew
If activity on one social media venue is a good start, then being active on five or 10 would be even better, right? Wrong; aim for being consistently active on three venues to keep quality up and stress down.
10 Tunnel Vision
Although social media marketing is very effective, it shouldn’t be your only way to build business. Traditional marketing methods can help balance out online marketing and attract consumers that don’t use social media.