Social Media Don'ts

 

      While scrolling through marketing sites for inspiration I happened upon a post that spoke to me. As business professionals we are inundated with so many messages, yet we rarely take the time to really scrutinize the advice. Social media marketing is not one size fits all, not even one size fits most. As a matter of fact some social media tips are downright wrong for many small businesses. So what are the tips you should ignore? Locbox.com came up with 6 Terrible Social Media Tips Small businesses Should Ignore.

1     1. Never reply to comments or messages from followers.  Playing it cool may work in some relationships, but business relationships are not one. You absolutely should respond to comments and questions in a timely manner. Maybe not right away, you don’t want to train your audience you’re always going to be able to respond real time. Take one or two times during the day if you can, or at least within 24-48 hours to check in to your social media sites and respond to every comment or question.  Responding shows you care and you are serious about your business. It also keeps that personal touch with your audience and keeps your audience engaged. There is nothing worse than the feeling of being invisible.

2.       2. Don’t strategize-post whenever you are inspired. Inspiration is great, but it won’t provide the consistency necessary to build customers. You must be focused on what you need to accomplish and how you are going to do it. You need to post on a regular basis, inspired or not. Look to scheduling tools to help with effective social media campaigns. This leaves you free time to get inspired.

 

3.       3.  Post every hour on the hour.  Over posting is a problem, just as much as under posting. Nothing screams unsubscribe like overwhelming your feeds. Posting too often dilutes the importance of each post and you may run the risk of being hidden in news feeds or worse yet being called a spammer.

4.       4. Social media is all you need. While social media is a powerful marketing channel it is not the Holy Grail. You need to drive your audience to a landing site whether it is your website or blog or online booking site. Other offers on these channels will help convert people merely reading your content into paying customers.

5.       5. Your likes and followers are all that matters.  You certainly can’t pay your rent with likes or buy groceries with followers.  Social media is after all about conversion. While likes and followers may tell you how well you are doing to attract clients it’s all about conversion if you want to grow your business.

 

6.       6. Only talk about yourself. If you monopolize the social media conversation you quickly become that egocentric person at the cocktail party people can’t wait to get away from. This is the fastest way to turn off potential clients. It’s about the customer in the end.  Your conversation should be client focused, understanding their challenges and providing solutions. Your content should be informative and educational while self-promotion is kept to a minimum.

So don’t get thrown off by all the so-called social media experts. Take the time to sift through the noise and hear the right message that fits your business.  Then take on your social media tasks with focus and clarity because that’s smart marketing.