Social media marketing may sound easy and fun, and the truth is—it can be. But only if you do it right. Doing it wrong can actually lead to more work and a lot of unhappiness, especially when it comes time to measure results.
If you’re using social media to increase leads and sales for your business, you know that it can be a potential mine field. It doesn’t have to be. Here are some of the most common social media mistakes and how to avoid them:
1. You have no plan.
Planning prevents “hit or miss” results. You wouldn’t launch your other marketing initiatives without a plan, so don’t do it with your social media campaign. Planning should involve, at the very least, two steps:
- Define goals
- Create a road map to achieve these goals (also known as a social media strategy)
There are many steps involved your strategy, such as identifying your ideal buyer and creating the content to reach them. If you’re not sure how to do it, bring in an expert to help.
2. You focus on the wrong numbers.
With social media, some numbers are important and others, not so much. For example, if you’re focusing on ROI, great. If you’re focusing on your number of followers and fans, not so great. Anyone can buy followers, or find other ways of artificially inflating the number of fans they have. But do these numbers translate into actual value?
Numbers look good, but it’s quality that counts. Growing your following organically is a slower process that yields better results over time because it targets the people most likely to purchase from you. In other words, think number of leads per follower rather than the number of followers!
3. It’s all about you.
It’s so easy to fall into this trap. Even though you start out with the best of intentions, you drift into self-serving posts over time. Next thing you know, you’re taking every opportunity to talk about product features and announce sales (ugh!).
Forgetting your followers is the kiss of social media death. While some sales material is ok, it can’t be the main thrust of your posts. The vast majority of your communications should consist of useful, problem-solving information that your followers need to make purchasing decisions.
4. You’re not responsive.
Social media is all about engagement, and not just when you’re hearing positive things. Responding to negative feedback is also a critical element of success. Prompt responses to both good and bad comments lead to consumer trust. So don’t neglect this aspect of your relationship with followers.
5. You aren’t tracking results.
Analyzing your data could mean the difference between maximizing results and just getting by. Manage your social media marketing campaign using programs that make it easy. Hootsuite is a popular option and there many others, so check them out.
Social media mistakes don’t have to bring you down! Whether you’ve been doing it awhile or are just getting started, use these tips to stay on track and start getting the results you want.
