More and more we are beginning to see “scandals” involving the misuse of social media platforms. Aside from such celebrity, business owners can also make mistakes that hurt them professionally, or leave them going no where on the web. Setting up the accounts may be easy, but promoting your brand and reaching your goals requires strategy, consistency and follow through. Avoid the following simple mistakes when developing your online presence. To learn more about how we can help you reach all of your marketing goals, visit www.rsmktg.com.
Social Media Marketing Mistakes
(from the Small Business Blog)
You’d have to be living under the proverbial rock to be unaware of the buzz surrounding social media. Business publications are full of stories about social media and consultants have been out there proclaiming its benefit (and selling their related coaching services) for a couple of years now. And perhaps you’ve tried social media marketing yourself, but with… umm… less than stellar results. What gives?
Chances are you’re making one or more of these social media marketing mistakes.
Not having clear purpose for your social media participation. “Everyone’s doing it,” isn’t a clear purpose. Spell out what goals you want to accomplish through social media participation and then decide on the steps you should take to reach your goal. Be specific. If your goal is to build clientele for your new yoga studio, you’re going to want to network in different social media groups and participate in different kinds of discussions than you would if you’re trying to get known as a financial planner.
Not having a website. Social media is not a replacement or substitute for having a website. Why? For one thing, you don’t own the social media. If they change their rules, or suddenly decide to charge businesses fees that are too high for your budget, you could lose your presence – and your primary way of communicating with your target customers. Your social media interactions should make it easy for the people you converse with to find your website, to see what products or services you are selling, and either make a purchase online or call you.
Tweeting the same self-promotional tweet dozens of times. Think about it, if someone looks at your page on Twitter, are you going to sound like parrot who has only learned a single phrase? If you wouldn’t call your neighbor once an hour to repeatedly deliver the same message, don’t do it on social networks.
Mixing business and personal accounts. Your business followers probably don’t want to know that little Jimmie is progressing nicely with his potty training. or that you’re taking the family to the lake for a few days. (The local burglars may find the lake trip pretty interesting, though.)