According to Hubspot, four out of every five businesses believe that social media is an important part of their marketing efforts. And why not? Virtually everybody is on social media and most of those people look at their social media accounts constantly. Every time someone pops onto social media is an opportunity for you to generate interest in your brand…if you play your cards right.
Unfortunately, for all the talk about how social media is super important, it’s rarely used to its potential. In fact, quite frankly, it’s often used horribly wrong, and the reason for that starts at the top. Even if you hire a writer to take care of your social media, it’ll never have true impact unless you get your strategy right from the start. Here are some of the mistakes that some companies make and why they’re so disastrous.
Set It And Forget It
People like to say that social media marketing is easy. It isn’t. Social media requires constant effort. An inactive social media account tells potential customers that you don’t care enough to work for their business. The same applies for social media pages with sporadic postings. Without a consistent commitment to social media, you’re sending the wrong message. And you’re making it impossible for people to get behind your brand.
Lack of Savvy
Once you commit to social media, your next step is to figure out what you’re doing. This takes time, especially if you don’t use social media in your personal life. The good news is it only takes a little bit of time to notice what others do and change your style accordingly. The bad news is many people don’t do this and forget that their posts will be seen by current and potential customers. Showing that you don’t know what you’re doing (I’m looking at you, “every post in all caps” guy) shows that you’re not on the same level as your customers, defeating the purpose of social media marketing.
Too Much Goofy Stuff
Social media is the “fun” medium. It gives you the opportunity to be quirky while promoting your business. The problem is it’s a very slippery slope and it’s tempting to do too much of the fun stuff and too little of the actual advertising. It’s helpful to keep your eyes on the prize and remember why it is that you’re using social media, in the first place. Increased engagement is part of the puzzle, but it’s not the only piece. Attracting interest to your brand should always be your main focus.
Nowhere to Go
Social media marketers track many different numbers, but there’s only one that really matters. That’s the number of people who click through to your site and become customers. Sure, it’s great to have a lot of followers and get a bunch of likes on your post. But social media, by itself, will never make you a dime. It’s up to you to put people in a position to buy your product, and the best way to do that is to link directly to a landing page on your website. This way, you’ll know just how many people came to your site through social media and how many people eventually made a purchase. Without this crucial last step, you’ll never truly know how effective your social media efforts are.
Bryan B is a freelance writer living in Long Island, NY. He likes good music, bad puns, and awful movies.
