Doing Social Media Right
With the proliferation of sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, many businesses are jumping into social media to increase sales. Social media is a great marketing tool, but when done ineffectively, it can be a waste of time and money.
Here are five common mistakes you should avoid to ensure a successful social media strategy.
Too much self-promotion. We've all run into the salesman at the neighborhood party who annoys everyone by handing out business cards while everyone else is socializing. Social media sites are like that party. They're where your potential customers get to know you and decide whether to learn more about your business. Some promotion is fine, but make sure you're sharing useful information and conversing with your social media connections. Plan on one-third promotional information and two-thirds educational and conversational content.
Replacing your website with social media. Marketing coach Kim Reddington of Cereus Women in Ashland says she often sees businesses make the mistake of thinking a Facebook page can replace a company website. She says a website should be the hub of your online presence, while social media pages help gain exposure and enhance credibility.
“People are on Facebook to be entertained, not to buy things,” Reddington said. “A website is where you can do your selling.”
Neglecting a call to action. Your job isn't done once you get people to follow your social media page. Successful marketers know a marketing campaign is doomed to fail without a “call to action,” something the prospect must do to move closer to a sale. When you design a social media page, always ask yourself what you want people to do next. Do you want more subscribers for your email list? Include a subscription box on your page. Looking for more traffic? Offer your connections a discount or special gift when they come in and mention your social media page. Post frequent links to information on your website.
Lack of consistency. Like any marketing tool, your business must use social media consistently to see results. Think of your social media page like a hungry pet: you must regularly feed it fresh content on a consistent schedule. Otherwise your existing connections will forget or delete you, and potential leads won't bother to connect with you if they see an out-of-date page with nothing to offer. To ensure consistency, create a monthly calendar with potential topics and use such tools as Hootsuite and Tweetdeck to schedule posts ahead of time.
Not measuring results. Make sure you regularly take stock of your social media efforts. How many fans or followers do you have? Do your posts receive comments and shares? Use free tools such as Bitly or Hootsuite to track how many clicks your links receive. Share exclusive promotion codes on your social media pages and track how many customers use them.
Many business owners are intimidated by the world of social media. However, with a little planning, it can generate great results for your business.
Erin Howard is owner of Streamline Marketing in Shrewsbury, where she helps businesses use email and social media marketing to attract customers. She can be reached at erin.howard@streamlinesolutions.biz.
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