Social media can be a highly effective way to promote your business in today’s always-connected, digital world. People enjoy engaging with brands they know and trust when it’s convenient for them to do so. However, your company can also turn away the very people it’s hoping to attract by making one of several annoying social media marketing mistakes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for a potential customer to decide that your company is too annoying and take his or her business elsewhere.
Avoid Spam at all Costs
Spam involves more than just sending unsolicited email to people. Your customers might also apply that label if they come to your Facebook or Twitter page only to see ads practically begging them to buy something.
While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to turn your social media followers into paying customers, you must go about it the right way. This starts with producing engaging content such as an in-depth article on one of your products or services or a video of your staff. Remember that people need to feel like they can trust a company before they will buy from it. If you remain patient and build customer relationships slowly, you will eventually reap the financial reward.
Respond When Someone Takes the Time to Leave a Comment
All businesses want online engagement. When you receive it in the form of a comment to a post, respond whether the comment appears positive or negative. Constantly posting without engaging with your followers sends the message that you only want to hear yourself talk. By acknowledging what a follower has written, it says that you value his or her time and appreciate the thought behind it. If the comment is a complaint about products or services, use it as an opportunity to show others that your company is responsive and willing to improve the customer’s experience.
Don’t Be Controversial Just to Go Viral
If you have watched any political campaign lately, you know that controversy attracts attention. Some businesses, in a desperate attempt to draw more followers to their pages, deliberately post controversial or shocking content.
This often does bring more people your way. However, it might not be the type of attention your business really wants or needs. It could result in a backlash of negative publicity as well as alienate potential customers who hold the opposite viewpoint. Additionally, the attention your company gains will go away when someone else posts the next big controversial item. You can’t go wrong when you stick to business and work to improve customer engagement.
Don’t Give Up Too Quickly
Perhaps you have high hopes of building a large social media following quickly with little effort on your part. It just doesn’t work that way, and this is the point that many business owners feel discouraged and quit. We recommend measuring your results each day, discover what is and isn’t working, and strive to attract more followers the next day. An active, engaged social media following is rewarding and well worth the effort.
If you’d like help preparing a social media marketing plan, we’re here for you. Lowcountry Business Advisors in Greater Charleston, SC strives to use our experience and passion to help those who are starting a business achieve their goals. Let’s meet for coffee and see how we can work together.
