“Yes, I have made mistakes, but… life doesn't come with instructions.”
Of course, it's not like that. But this is not the case with social media – there is no doubt there is good advice out there to help you avoid social media mistakes. After all, mistakes are meant to be learned and not repeated, right?
What are some of the most common mistakes that companies, especially startups, make while defining and executing their social media strategy? This is what I found:
- wrong platforms
We agree that Facebook has 1,44 billion monthly active users (as of March 31, 2015). But you can't have the entire universe as your target audience.
Nowadays when everyone has a lot to choose from, the decision to social media marketing The most important thing to do is define the target audience. Targeted marketing is the name of the game, and targeted marketing is, by definition, exclusionary.
It is necessary to clearly define the audience. Once done, you need to identify the platforms on which your target audience is active. Remember – no one searches for a job on Facebook or searches for a hotel review on LinkedIn.
Being present on the most popular platform is meaningless if your target audience is not active there. Here's some quick help when it comes to popular platforms:
Facebook – It is a good platform when:
- You have very visual content.
- You want to take advantage of the community effect.
- You want to build trust in the minds of users by leveraging their friends' network.
- You're ready to spend on ads, as recent changes to Facebook's algorithm have made it very difficult to reach fans organically.
Twitter – It is a good platform for:
- Transmit a message.
- Join ongoing conversations.
- Contact opinion leaders and people you care about.
- Build a position for yourself.
LinkedIn – Consider using it when:
- You are a B2B (Business to Business) company.
- You want to connect with a professional audience and establish leadership within a targeted homogeneous audience group.
Google+ – Good platform for:
- Help you with your SEO efforts.
- Participate in Google Communities to connect with like-minded people.
Pinterest – Can be used when:
- Your primary target audience is to include women.
- You have very visual content to share.
These, of course, are only guidelines. More extensive research and brainstorming is necessary to choose social platforms for your brand.
- Do too much or too little
Once you choose a social platform, you need to commit to it. Having an inactive presence on any of the platforms creates a bad impression. Having the last Twitter date like two years ago is worse than not having a Twitter account.
You have to show activity on social media, and you need to have consistency. The opposite is also true – that you can't do too much. Don't bombard your LinkedIn followers with 10 updates a day just because that will give you more impressions!
- Ignore content marketing
El social media marketing Content is the fuel for your efforts on social networks. You need to have good blog articles to show your knowledge. It is necessary to have interesting infographics to share with your audience. eBooks are good to share as a free gift. White papers are a great way to establish your thought leadership. It needs content, period. Of course, don't ignore your social media strategy. Not having enough bandwidth to create content cannot be an excuse today.
- Inappropriate Content or Self-Promotion
Each platform has different content needs. Don't make the mistake of promoting the same content on all platforms just because there are tools available that allow you to do so. Each platform requires different messages and type of content.
More importantly, you also need to think about the frequency of your updates. Your audience is not going to be present on all platforms at the same time. Social media requires some serious time and commitment, so don't get away with easy options to automate your schedules without giving it some serious thought, or having a proper plan.
Another thing to keep in mind is the type of content you share. Too much self-promotion is a big turn-off. Just because you're excited about your product or service doesn't mean you can talk about it all day. Have a good balance of education, industry knowledge, engagement and self-promotion in your content sharing.
- No Personal Branding
People relate to people – and this is especially true for startups, where people are buying the services of the founders rather than the company. That's why it's important for new businesses to include their founders' personal brand in their social media planning and strategies. You need a face for your company.
- Responses to negative comments
A large number of companies flee social networks for fear of negative comments. But keep in mind that negative comments are actually a good opportunity for you to build trust in the minds of your readers.
One of the most important things to remember while handling negative comments on the social platform is that NEVER You should give a rude response to any negative comments.
Be personal and show genuine interest in solving the problem. Recognize the problem and take genuine steps to resolve it. If it is a mistake, accept it and make every effort to resolve it. Check out this example here from Zappos – simply brilliant. It is not?
- Not aligning with the target audience in terms of tone and messaging
Try to align as much as you can with your target audience – if you're targeting young people, introduce some quirk to your overall messaging program. If you are addressing CXOs, maintain a professional tone. Just make sure your marketing tone matches your company culture.
After all, today, marketing is no longer the job of just the marketing department. It is the job of each and every one representing the company. Here's a brilliant example of this.
Source: Yourstory
