There are many common mistakes made in social media marketing, which can cost companies a lot of money and time. You can avoid these mistakes by knowing what to do and what not to do with the following tips:
1. Not having a strategy in place
If you decide to set up social media accounts but do not have any plans or strategies for how these accounts will engage with your customers, then your time and money are being wasted. Without planning, you cannot expect results. Social media marketing takes effort and follow-up. If you cannot commit to it, don’t do it.
Tip: Create a plan for your social media marketing efforts and commit to it.
2. Posting too frequently
Although many people believe that posting several times a day is ideal, this might cause you to overwhelm your audience and irritate them as well. Posts should be of high quality and more often than not, at least a day apart. Additionally, posting at odd hours can detract from your company’s image. If you are posting in the middle of the night, it would appear as though no one works there.
Tip: Post two to three times and space out your posts throughout the entire day.
3. Not having the right equipment and tools to use social media accounts
If you want to set up social media accounts and successfully manage them, you will need certain tools and equipment at your disposal. For example, if you want to take polls and surveys on these accounts or determine the demographics of your audience, then having a tool for this is essential.
Tip: If you don’t have the equipment and tools needed to use social media accounts appropriately, then wait until do before attempting to create and manage them.
4. Having too much on your company’s plate
Creating social media accounts is just one small part of successful marketing. You have to have a plan in place for how you will attract customers with ads, online video campaigns, email marketing, and the like. If you are spread too thin over various platforms, then it can be disastrous for your overall goals.
Tip: Focus on one or two social media channels at a time. For example, if your dog sitting franchise business has a page on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, it’s probably best to stick with one platform before adding another.
5. Not staying engaged
The point of social media accounts is to engage with customers so you have an idea of what they are thinking and feeling about your product or service. You can determine their demographics and any common problems they might experience, which can lead you to create new products or services they will appreciate. Answering questions and staying engaged helps build trust between your brand and its customers.
Tip: Make sure that all of your social media accounts are active (not dead) with regular posts that fulfill the needs of your customers. By doing this, you will not only gain their trust but also increase the number of people who like and follow you.
6. Not having a process in place to respond to comments
If your company does not have any social media accounts set up, then someone else might set them up for you (such as a marketing or PR firm). In this case, you should determine how comments will be handled. Will they go to the marketing firm, PR group, or you? Who will answer them? How long will it take for someone to respond? If you do not have processes in place for these procedures, then your company’s online image could become very chaotic and unprofessional.
Tip: Decide how your company will handle comments by making the process clear to everyone involved.
7. Automating responses
If you use some type of program or tool to automate some or all of your responses, then you are not only wasting time but also damaging your company’s image. Your audience wants to feel like they can contact you and get a personalized response, even if they are asking a general question. Automating responses can make it seem like no one is available to help customers, which would be detrimental to your company’s image overall.
Tip: Respond to comments via social media manually or with live chat. If you do use a program or tool for this purpose, don’t respond too frequently- let them know you are an actual person.
8. Not using hashtags
Hashtags allow people to search for posts related to a specific topic on social media platforms, which makes it easier for other users to find your posts. For example, if you have a pet hotel in New York City and you post photos of dogs at your hotel, you could include the hashtag #dogs at your hotel so people in New York can find these posts.
Tip: Include relevant hashtags in your posts to give them more visibility and attract a larger audience.
Social media accounts are great for marketing your company, but you have to make sure you avoid common mistakes to get the most out of them. Use some of these tips to help improve your social media efforts and attract more customers.
