5 Social Media Mistakes Made by Small Businesses
Nowadays, most businesses have a social media presence, whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. However, sometimes the way that social media impacts your brand gets overlooked and your efforts do not affect your business positively. When social media is used right it generates traffic, builds brands and credibility, is a great PR tool, and sends social signals to users and search engines that you are a reputable business.
Here are 6 social media mistakes that you might be making on your social media pages from Brad Shorr’s article on Forbes.com:
1. Not Responding to Comments
It’s amazing how many companies forget social media is social. When someone reaches out to your company with a comment, you must respond-quickly and thoughtfully. Once the perception takes hold that your company is above engaging with the audience, you are dead. You will be labeled as a company that is interested only in self-promotion, a cardinal sin of social media marketing.
2. Controlling the Message
Similar to No. 1, companies should not view their social media accounts as advertising platforms. On social media, authenticity is valued highly. It’s OK to admit a mistake, ask for help, and respond frankly to criticism. Many small companies are unwilling to do this, and if you are one of them, either change your attitude or look for another method of Internet marketing.
3. Not Giving to Get
“Giving to get” is the path to success in social media. This strategy requires a generous spirit. Small companies succeed in social media when they go out of their way to help people by providing useful content, sharing other people’s content, jumping into conversations where they can lend a hand, and making it easy for people to try their products and services.
4. Selling Too Much
Social media users don’t like the hard sell. As a matter of fact, many use social media to escape commercialism. Don’t try too hard to sell your products and services; there will be a backlash. Again, social media is social. The best path to generating sales is to build relationships with your social media community, and then introduce the idea of doing business together.
5. Not Selling Enough
The flip side of No. 4 is also a big mistake-not attempting to sell through your social media campaign. This amounts to not having a strategy at all. If you view social media as a way to build credibility and brand awareness, that’s fine, but at some point you have to turn that credibility and brand awareness into sales. Smart small businesses gradually ramp up lead and revenue generation activities on their social media accounts; not doing it prematurely, but when the time is right to convert the “soft” asset of brand affinity into hard dollars.
Check out the complete list of mistakes in the article: 10 Social Media Mistakes That Small Business Owners Make.
Do you feel like your business is making a lot of these mistakes? Or maybe you are unsure of what type of social media strategy is right for your business? The BLU Group would love to help, contact us at 608-519-3070.
