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Social media very quickly became one of the best marketing platforms. It’s inexpensive and often free. It gives you the opportunity to reach a global audience and makes it easier to make industry contacts. It can be every business owner’s best friend when used the right way. There are many ways to engage viewers and many ways to turn them away. Here are some of the most common errors people make and some things you should be doing to help build your social media following.
Social Media Don’ts
Don’t use text language unless it’s on Twitter and even then limit it. This may seem weird to you because social media marketing is typically a little more casual than business to business or direct mail marketing. The thing to remember is this is still your business image that you are putting out there. Do you really want your audience thinking that you aren’t a professional?
Don’t use profanities or crude language. I shouldn’t even have to put this one on here, but the truth is I DO! Again, you need to remember you are creating a professional image. Even though you may be posting as an individual when you make something public on any social media platform you are now associating your name both personally and professionally with that post. Keep it clean and choose your words wisely.
Don’t post about controversial or hot button issues. If you are not part of a religious or political organization, stay away from posting about these issues. You want to engage as many viewers as you can. When you take a personal stand on these issues publicly you risk offending part of or all of your audience. Don’t risk it. The idea of marketing is to get more consumers, business partners, etc.
Don’t overshare. It sounds so simple but it is truly one of the worst things you can do. Nobody needs to know where you are every second of every day. Edit your postings to what is relevant to your target audience.
Don’t spam your viewers. It’s not about how many posts you put out, it’s about the content. I know people who think by posting the same thing over and over again that they will show up in everybody’s feed or snapshot so they “spam” their viewers. This is another one of those things that will encourage viewers to look elsewhere for actual content.
Social Media Do’s
Make groups within your accounts. This is one of the easiest ways to ensure your posts are reaching your target audience. If you want to take a personal stand on an issue on social media, but don’t want to offend any potential business contacts, make sure you have a separate group of family and friends and only allow them to view that post.
Identify your target audience. This is especially useful when you are just starting your social media marketing. Start with a very specific target audience and build from there. Social media marketing can be overwhelming so start small and manageable. Having a very specific target audience will also help you in your visibility in search engines.
Celebrate your accomplishments. Let people know about your wins. You’re out there trying to build your business, so it only makes sense that you would want people to know what you’ve accomplished. Remember, we are nothing without the people we surround ourselves with so make sure to recognize your business partners and clients and their accomplishments as well.
Engage your viewers in the conversation. People will come back to your page, feed, etc. if you engage them. Posting surveys, thought-provoking questions, and asking for feedback on products and services are all things that will engage your viewers. When your viewers feel they have an impact they will return to see what’s next.
Have a separate email for social media accounts. Trust me, you will want one! Once you start engaging viewers your inbox will start filling up with notifications. If you don’t have a separate account this will make it more difficult to distinguish customer and client inquiries from social media notifications in addition to taking up space in your inbox.
What other tips do you suggest for social media marketing success? Drop them in the comments below! If you are looking for more great tips, check out our other blogs here!