Five Social Media Mistakes To Avoid - Internet Marketing Academy

September 19, 2013

As you know by now, social media is an important part of your marketing strategy. Unfortunately, too many business owners make mistakes that cost them potential customers and, in some cases, their reputations. For a successful marketing campaign, avoid making the following blunders.

1. Ignoring Social Media Altogether

Don?t make the mistake of thinking that social media is silly or unimportant. The payoff of social media marketing can be huge. Its benefits include brand recognition, word of mouth marketing, reputation management, and improved relationships with your customers (which means more information about your customers).

2. Talking About Yourself Constantly

In business relationships, just as in personal ones, talking about yourself all the time never works. Think of social media as a conversation, not a selling tool. Social media affords you the opportunity to engage your customers, listen to them, and help them out by posting relevant content. A little promotion is one thing ? especially when you have a notable event going on, like a contest ? but this isn?t the place for nonstop advertisements, and they won?t be well-received.

3. Talking About Stuff You Shouldn?t Talk About At All

Keeping your posts personable is a good idea ? how your day went, what you?re up to, what?s new with your business ? but don?t confuse personable with personal. For example, you should never say anything negative about customers, no matter how difficult the woman you dealt with the day before was. Never complain about them or about interactions you had with them, and never mention anything that?s overly personal.

4. Trying To Maintain A Presence On Every Platform

The more websites you are active on, the more time and money they require. A poll on your website is one tool that can help you discern which social networks are most used by your customers; then you can start there. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all good starting points. Pinterest is gaining on them, too, and provides unique marketing opportunities. Choose one or two that align with your goals as a business and focus on them.

5. Expecting It To Be Free

Simply having a Facebook page is not social media marketing. A successful marketing strategy involves engagement and dialogue and humanising your brand; it also involves planning and dedicated resources. ?If you?re gonna go, go all out? is particularly applicable to social media marketing. Understand what your goals are, how you will accomplish them, and who will be in charge of the project. By the way, this is where some younger talent on staff can really benefit your business. Older employees can certainly have great computer skills, but the younger ones were practically born understanding social media. Take advantage of their knowledge.

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Thanks!

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Sean

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Sean McPheat

Managing Director

The Internet Marketing Academy

http://www.internetmarketingacademy.com

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(Image: freedigitalphotos.net/Stuart Miles)

Posted in Social Media | Tagged Facebook, social media tips, Twitter |

Source: http://www.internetmarketingacademy.com/blog/five-social-media-mistakes-to-avoid/

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