You’re killing your social media marketing strategy. You don’t even know it yet, but you are.

Social media is a powerful tool for any business to advertise and share their message with the world. But what happens when businesses make mistakes? When they get lazy? When they spend all their time on one platform instead of spreading themselves out across multiple channels?

It’s not pretty, my friend. It can be difficult to recover from these mistakes, especially if people have already seen them happening in the past few months or years of doing this kind of work. The best thing that you can do is avoid making these same costly errors in the future!

However crowded the market place becomes, every business hopes to get their brand out there and in front of as many eyeballs (and wallets) as possible. No wonder many love to leverage the power of social media! In an attempt to stand out in these networks, it is not unusual for even the most seasoned business owners to make some mistakes.

Let’s start off with some of the bad advice that you may have received. Bad advice, no matter how well intended, can really damage your reputation, and it really does make it harder to recover!

Here’s what bad advice can look like…

• You absolutely HAVE to be on reels
• Your strategy MUST include paid advertising
• You HAVE to post 3 times a day to stay relevant
• You simply MUST be ‘live’ on Facebook, even if you have nothing valuable to say

Whether we like it or not, social media is all about instant gratification. Ever heard this? “You’ve got to be on these platforms NOW or your business will get left behind!” The idea of doing things gradually may seem like an unlikely strategy at best… But can we really argue with the success of the tortoise over the hare?

You’re not going to find out that these are mistakes if you keep doing what everyone else is doing. Wey hey! It’s time for something new, or at least it should be anyway! You have got to take a step back and look at how your business strategy compares with others in your industry.

Did you know that most businesses are still using the same marketing tactics they were in 2016? It’s crazy!

Just because everyone else does it, doesn’t mean you should follow suit.

The intention here is not to sound snarky, or belittle a strategy that may very well have worked for you a while back – but, we know first hand that every Dollar, every minute, every resource has to be spent wisely if your business is going to turn a reasonably sized profit. An over exaggerated, one size fits all approach to your marketing strategy simply threatens your success on any social platform, before you’ve even started.

Social media users are unforgiving. It’s as simple as that! How many keyboard warriors have you encountered in the past decade? I’d bet quite a few. They’re relentless! Make one mistake, and be rest assured that the latest and greatest know-it-all will point it out, before you even notice. Make the mistake again, and you’ll notice one of two things:

• Your followers decrease, slowly but surely
• Your comments section will be blown up with harassments, courtesy of the Troll

These are the 3 mistakes that you need to avoid, if you want to be successful on Social Media

1 – Jumping in head first

This is where strategy comes in. It’s your plan. Your end goal, and the “how” you’ll get there. Creating a social media marketing plan might seem like an obvious thing to do, yet many companies fail to do so. They fall into the trap of just posting things on social media without any real plan in place. You should take social media marketing with the same seriousness that you do as with any other marketing effort! (Remember the Trolls? They’re watching, and waiting)

• Decide on your objective, and goals
• Choose your platforms
• Know how you will measure your performance

2 – Not knowing who you’re really talking to

We often speak about this, simply because it is so important. Clearly identifying your target audience is the most crucial aspect of any marketing plan. If you don’t know who you’re speaking to, why would they open their wallets for you? Not everyone on social media will fit your brand. Defining your target audience will let you concentrate your social media marketing efforts on people who are genuinely interested in your product. However hard you work, if you do not know your audience, you will record dismal results.

• Give them a name, an age, an occupation
• Identify their biggest pain point, and how you can fix that for them
• Figure out what their objections may be, and counter them in your posts

3 – Speaking to, and not with your followers

As Digital as the world may be, it still requires some sort of human interaction. This means, ENGAGE with your followers! Sure, there is a time and a place for an automated response, or a chat bot – but 99% of the time – make sure that you’re available to your audience. Create content that encourages engagement, you want people to comment! When they do, respond – and do so with intent.

If your updates get no reactions, it may be time for you to rethink the approach that you have taken. And when you finally get your audience to react to your updates, be sure to engage back. A conversation is a two-way street. Respond to comments even when they are negative. And remember to keep it cool; be polite and friendly!

• Create content worth a comment
• Respond to every comment, even the negative ones
• Reply to all your inbox messages – be prompt

This is what you need to know

Marketing, rather – successful marketing is an Ecosystem. You need to approach it as a living, breathing being. One that requires nourishment, growth, and a whole load of attention! Your aim should be to foster a holistic Ecosystem – one that is made up of original, appealing, organic (and paid) content that fits your business, and your target audience. Sure, it sounds like another thing that you don’t have time to do , right? Have you heard about our 360 Marketing Strategy? 

It’s a free training session, and basically all the work is done for you. 

You can register for your session here! 

Social media marketing is a tool that you should be utilizing. It’s a free resource that is designed for you to be seen! Taking advantage of the platforms should be at the top of your to do list.

If you’re interested in working with an Agency that not only cares, but actually understands your market, audience, and business – then give us a shout. We’re here to solve the problems that are unique to your business, and your strategy.

Reach out to us, let’s get social!

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