While every marketing, PR firm and online marketing company is out there telling businesses to flock to social media -LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook sometimes more damage is done than benefits are gained.
Here Are the 3 Ways Your Social Media Faux Pas Could Dig Your Grave
- Well, we have an account. One day, after several meetings about social media, you make the executive decision. Your company will have an account on all the necessary sites. You delegate the work and someone creates a social media page for your company on all the major social media sites. And, then nothing.
Just having an account on social media doesn’t mean that you’re job is done. You’ve committed the ultimate faux pas by creating an account and doing absolutely nothing with it. Now when an interested customer stumbles upon your page, it’s worse than if you didn’t exist. It makes you look unorganized, impulsive and disconnected.
You need to make sure that you fill in all the appropriate information. Describe your company. Add photos. Post your upcoming events. And, use the site to interact with interested customers on an on-going basis.
- Talking About Yourself Too Much. Social media was meant to engage users. If every single post you share is about you, your products, your events, your sales, your specials, your abilities, then there is a whole too lot of you up there. Share an event one of your customers was telling you about. Retweet an article your consumers would find interesting. Post the occasional funny – but remember to stay professional.
Use your social media outlets to reach out to people who are clearly interested in your brand. Make sure you thank them for liking your page. Post a comment welcoming them or send them a message with a special offer as a thanks for engaging.
Social media is your chance to get on the streets and talk to consumers. They can get to know the brand on a more personal level. It’s a branding element that sticks with people.
- Not Checking in Regularly. If a customer likes your brand, then they should get an immediate response. If someone asks a question on your page, you should be able to respond almost instantly. If someone posts a public comment, asking about a product or service, sharing feedback or criticism, you should respond immediately. This may be something other users experienced. That consumer expects an immediate response. Responding in a few days or weeks is unacceptable. Set up email alerts, so you know when someone posts on your feed or tags you in a tweet or post. You should not only keep your page updated, but your clients should feel like this is another way to interact with your brand.
Yes, social media is a great tool to increase brand awareness, boost your SEO and engage your customers. There is a but, though. Social media is only as good as how you use it. If you are using it to spam out as much information about you as possible, then chances are the people following you are doing the same thing. Social media only works when you are using it to engage your customers. Reach out to your clients and see what they want. Use polls and ask questions. Create a regular Friday posting – like Ellen with her post of hidden cats on Fridays – that bring your customers to your page every week.
Don’t use social media as a quick fix for boosting your Google ranking. Social media is ran by the consumer. There is no way to trick the consumer into liking you with the right keywords and the appropriate number of postings. You need to use your social media to build your brand’s online image.
