Where You're Going Wrong with Social Media

It does not matter whether you sell beauty products or you provide bookkeeping services, the importance of a strong social media presence cannot be ignored. Read on to discover why social media is important and some of the common mistakes you need to avoid.

The importance of social media marketing

There are a lot of business owners that still undervalue the importance of social media marketing. So, why is social media marketing important for small businesses? Social media increases brand awareness, improves search engine rankings, and generates more traffic. If that wasn’t enough, social media also acts as a customer service platform, enabling you to provide a better service to your clients. You can also improve brand loyalty, as well as increasing conversions and brand authority. It is also a cost-effective marketing platform, which enables you to gain marketplace insight.

Mistakes you could be making with social media

Now you know the importance of social media, let’s get to the bottom of where you are going wrong…

Failing to create a strategy for social media marketing – You cannot go about social media blindfolded. You need to have a strategy in place. This should cover your team, time investment, tactics, target audience, and goals.
Only posting promotional messages – Posting spammy links, automatic messages, and only promotional content will work against your business.
Stretching yourself too thin – Signing yourself up to every single social media network going may seem like a good idea, yet you are going to struggle to get positive ROI from your social media marketing if you go about it like this. Remember, quality before quantity!
Dealing with negative feedback – This is one of the biggest mistakes that brands make when it comes to social media. Yes, it can be hard to hear negative comments about your business. Yet this is honest feedback about the user experience of a service or product. Rather than reacting badly to this, you should apologise to the customer and try to put it right. One thing you should never do is delete a negative comment. Word will quickly get around that you’re trying to cover up your tracks.
Not considering your target audience – Not only do you need to know your target audience, but also you need to know where they are. If LinkedIn does not appeal to your target demographic, you are simply wasting your time by posting on there.
Not tracking social media progress – If you don’t track how you are performing, how do you expect to improve it? Not making the most of social media analytics is one of the most crucial mistakes made.

If you are making any of the errors that have been mentioned, it is important to put steps in place to rectify them. Social media can propel your business to the next level, but only if you are using it correctly.