No company can afford to ignore social media. Regardless of your industry, chances are good that the majority of your customers are active on one or more social media platforms. If you can connect with them there, you can strengthen customer loyalty and grow your business.
However, if you want to use social media to market your business, it's important that you do it the right way. Many business owners make crucial mistakes with their social media marketing. With that in mind, here are five of the most common social media mistakes - and some ideas on how to fix them.
Mistake 1: Using too many platforms
You might be tempted to think that using all social media is the best strategy because you are more likely to find your customers than if you limit yourself to just one or two sites. The opposite is actually true. It's important that you don't forget the social aspect of social media. If you want to use a website, you need to engage and post regularly. You can't expect people to follow you if you don't make an effort - and having an inactive account is worse than having no account at all.
The solution: Decide on one or two platforms and get fully involved
Instead of trying to please everyone, find out about your customer base and which platforms they are most likely to use. There's no point spending a lot of time on Snapchat if only a few of your customers are there. Pick two or at most three sites that you think will bring you the most value. Deactivate any other accounts you have and put your energy into building a following on your chosen sites.
Mistake 2: Not posting consistently
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make on social media is that they forget that sites like Facebook and Twitter are meant to be social first and foremost. The algorithms used by Facebook and Twitter mean that not everyone will see the content you post. Inconsistent posting will reduce the number of people who see your content and cause you to lose followers.
The solution: Create a social media schedule and stick to it
The best way to keep your social media posts consistent is to create a schedule for your posts and stick to it. You can use community events like Throwback Thursday to guide you in deciding what to share and when. Using a social media management tool can help you do all your scheduling at once so you don't have to interrupt your day to post content.
Mistake 3: Spamming your followers
Social media is for fun. Nobody follows a company on Facebook or Pinterest because they want to be inundated with an endless stream of advertising messages - and yet many companies make the mistake of doing just that. Your social media followers will quickly tire of being inundated with aggressive marketing material.
The solution: follow the 80/20 rule
The 80/20 rule is easy to follow. The rule states that 80 % of the content you post should be informative and entertaining and should not contain direct promotional messages. The other 20% can include direct marketing, calls to action, etc. In other words, four out of five things you share on social media should be posted with the idea that it will be interesting to your followers - without any intention on your part other than to keep your name in people's minds.
Mistake 4: Not getting in touch with your followers
The people who follow you on social media want to interact with you. If they weren't interested in you or your business, they wouldn't follow you in the first place. However, some companies make the mistake of thinking that they don't need to respond to comments or share content other than their own. The result is an uninterested fan base that thinks you're not interested in them.
The solution: Accept the give and take in social media
One of the best things about using social media to market your business is that you have the opportunity to turn your customers into brand ambassadors. You can't do that if you don't encourage them to talk about you and your products. The answer is to follow influencers in your niche or industry and share their content if it's relevant to your followers. It's also a good idea to think of your social media accounts as part of your customer service department. When your followers ask questions or make comments, reply to them and help them as best you can. Even those who don't comment will see that you are engaged and care about your customers. Their responses will help strengthen customer loyalty.
Mistake 5: You don't track and test your marketing campaigns
When it comes to social media marketing, it's not enough to post content and look at the number of likes as proof of a campaign's effectiveness. If you do that, chances are that most of your content simply won't appeal to your customers - and if you keep posting similar content, you could end up losing them.
The solution: Use Facebook metrics and other tools to optimise your campaigns
When you share content, boost a post or run an advert on social media, you receive a wealth of information about how your customers view and interact with what you share. If you want your campaigns to be effective, you need to use this information to guide your social media policies in the future. For example, if you find that the videos you create and share on social media are getting twice as much attention as other content, it makes sense to reallocate funds from your budget so you can produce more video content. You should also split-test your campaigns to make sure they are working the way you want them to.
If you do these things, you can grow your following - and your business. These five mistakes are common, but you don't have to make them. With the solutions outlined here, you can fine-tune your social media campaigns and get the engagement and revenue you want.
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