There’s no question that social media can be an effective and inexpensive marketing tool. When social syndication is used in conjunction with a high-quality inbound marketing strategy, your social media can increase your brand presence and even help you with customer service.That said, social media mistakes can be costly. You can work for years to build your reputation and then spoil all that work with one ill-timed, embarrassing tweet. That’s why it’s important to create a social media marketing strategy that keeps you on track and helps you to avoid costly mistakes. Let’s take a close look at social media mistakes to avoid. Be sure to learn about some of the common social media mistakes here.
1 – Failing to Create a Strategy
Because it’s so easy to set up social media accounts and start posting, lots of businesses skip over the important work of creating a solid social media marketing strategy. Without a strategy, you might start out strong but quickly lose steam. How can you avoid this mistake?
First of all, create goals that are predefined and measurable. For instance, you might want to set a goal of attracting a certain number of followers or increasing the traffic flow from your social media accounts to your website.
Next, define your target audience, and use tactics that work well with that particular audience. This could include starting social media accounts on the most commonly used platforms for your audience. If you need help learn about social media as a part of your inbound marketing strategy. Finally, set aside time and resources on a regular basis to write content and schedule posts for your social media accounts. You may need to hire out some of this work or delegate some of this work to your existing employees. Check out our guide on how to write social media copy.
2 – Mishandling Negative Feedback
The social media environment can be a hostile place these days, so it’s wise to think ahead about how you’ll handle negative feedback.
When it comes to criticism, don’t get defensive. Criticism can actually be helpful in many ways. Maybe there are some areas in which your business can improve. Humbly accepting the criticism and thanking critics for their “feedback” can go a long way.
You’ll also need to determine when someone is really upset and when they’re just trying to troll you. Don’t ignore negative comments, and never delete them. Ask the customer to call or email you, and maintain a professional and helpful tone.
3 – Being Too “Corporate
”It’s much more pleasant to interact with a fellow human than it is to communicate with a corporation, so give your social media accounts a human touch. The jury is still out about using business logos for profile pictures. Some studies show that people like to interact more with accounts that have pictures of people as the profile pictures. Some people think it’s important to use your logo in order to increase brand recognition. Try both ways and see what works well for your business. Learn how to increase your business exposure through social media.
Also, do your best to avoid using “stock” corporate responses to queries or comments. You can do this by personally addressing the commenter and being specific in your responses.
4 – Being Too Spammy
Yes, you’re setting up social media accounts to improve your inbound marketing, but if you only post sales promotions and links to your content, your accounts will seem spammy.
You can avoid the appearance of spam by engaging in conversation, adding some industry news and insights to your posts, and building your followers. You can encourage people to follow your accounts by holding contests and continually posting quality content.
5 – Neglecting Analytics
Look at these analytics! Without actionable insights, there isn’t much point in using social media for marketing. Fortunately, most social media networks make it easy for you to track your success with analytics.
Keep track of how fans react to your posts. Which posts generate the most engagement? Which ones seem unpopular? Which posts send people to your website? Which social media networks reach your target audience most effectively?
By avoiding these social media mistakes, you can build your business and continue to expand your brand’s online presence. To learn more about social media marketing–or to get your own free SEO analysis–reach out to us at Park Slope Softworks, your inbound marketing company in Brooklyn. Check out our free SEO analysis service!
