Social Media Marketing, Social Media Strategy
5 Social Media Mistakes To Avoid
Dec 21 2011
Every new beginning comes with its own mistakes. The emerging market of social media is no exception. Sometimes mistakes are helpful, but only if you learn from them!
1. Not Developing a Solid Plan
Most companies social media campaigns fail based on the lack of a solid start up plan. Thoughtful planning is essential to ensuring your social media efforts will move in the right direction and eventually bring value and success to your business. Start with defining your goals and expectations, how much time and money you want to invest, and what resources you want to use. Once you have all these questions answered, it will be easier to visualize your future social media presence.
2. Not Being Committed
It’s quite easy to underestimate the amount of routine work that goes into a successful social media marketing planning and execution. It’s not a one time ad in a monthly magazine, social media presence doesn’t just stop when you finish your promotional campaign. It can be as easy as dedicating 15 minutes a day and 3 times a week to help keep your social media presence going. You really need to make a strong commitment in order to stay on track and achieve your initial goals.
3. Not Educating Yourself about Social Media
The nature of social media is about evolution and fresh ideas. New tools, devices, and solutions constantly appear on the market. What used to work for your business a year ago might have very little effect today. One of the biggest mistakes in social media is not investing enough time and effort into educating yourself and your employees about the latest changes and updates in social media. If you want your business to stay competitive online, it’s crucial to stay on top of the new trends in digital space that could have a huge impact on your future social media strategy.
4. Not Participating in Conversation
Many companies forget the fact that social media is about being SOCIAL and that it’s built on a two-way communication. Businesses start broadcasting information about their products and services without listening or engaging with the audience. There is only so much product promotion that any of us can take. What we usually care about and find interesting are the solutions to our problems and educational content. Connect with your audience by providing useful and valuable information, asking questions, and finding solutions to fit their needs. Doing this on a regular basis will help you to build strong and loyal relationships with your customer base and attract new prospects.
5. Not Monitoring and Measuring Your Online Presence
If you start doing something but you don’t exactly understand what the results of your actions will be – that’s a pretty big problem for a business. It all goes back to the beginning. When you have your goals set and you know what you are trying to achieve, it means you now have something to measure. As with any other aspect of business, it’s important to monitor and measure every aspect of your social media presence to make sure it’s worth the investment. Your social media efforts are only as good as the energy you put into them, and with the right tools and creative approach, you can ensure that you are getting enough value for your business.
Mariya Newman
Follow me on Twitter (@MariyaNewman) and add me on LinkedIn!
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Great list, Krista. It takes passion, planning, persistence and patience to succeed with social media. Then you get the greatest P — payoff!