Social media is a new thing and lots of businesses don’t know how to use it effectively. In fact, there’s an entire industry of social media experts that’s popped up to help. Here are eleven sure ways to fail at social media, and how you can avoid them.
Incomplete Profile – Don’t sign up for social media and tell yourself you’ll get around to filling out that profile someday. Your profile tells the world about you and it’s also essential search engine fodder. Take the time to fill it out completely when you first sign up.
The Invisible Marketer – If you’re going to create a profile, commit to doing it. For each social media profile you make, you should be their daily posting, replying and interacting with your market.
Automate and Forget – Create canned updates and cut-copy-paste responses if you want to completely alienate your audience. Social media works because it shows your human side. Don’t automate with software programs.
Inappropriate Comments – Tons of companies destroy their reputations with inappropriate comments. On social media, anything could be taken the wrong way. Avoid controversial topics or anything that could be considered obscene.
Airing Dirty Laundry – If you’re having a spat with somebody, save it. Don’t air your dirty laundry on social media. You’ll put on a great show and you’ll have quite an audience, but that’s not the kind of exposure you want to get.
Getting Too Personal – Although it’s all about human interaction, don’t make it too personal. This isn’t your personal account. If you need to, create two different accounts – one for your business and one for your personal friends and family.
Shameless Self-Promotion – Sure, you’re there to help your business. But it shouldn’t look that way. Don’t spend all your social media time just promoting yourself. Provide value and interact, and your actions will promote your business for you.
No Reply (or Slow Reply) – Whenever you get a comment or question, reply to it as soon as possible. Everything happens in real-time. Don’t leave anybody hanging or you’ll look unresponsive.
If You Ignore It, It WON’T Go Away – When you get negative comments, deal with them immediately by engaging with the poster. Don’t ignore them or try to bury them with new posts. Show other users that your company cares about customer service.
Not Listening – Social media is a golden opportunity to listen to your market and find out what they like and want. Listen to your fans just as much as you talk.
No Social Media Plan – Don’t get into social media because everybody else is doing it. Create your profile with a certain plan in mind. Know exactly what you’re going to achieve (lead generation, branding, etc.) before you get started. Without a goal, how will you ever get there?
Tony
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