Social media is an excellent opportunity for your company to establish their brand image and build relationships. It will allow you to interact with your consumers on a new level as you engage them in conversations.
However, until companies fully understand social media, it won’t serve as an asset, but rather as a liability. Simply having an account and robotically spewing off tweets or content will not suffice. Understanding your consumer and how they behave on social media is of the utmost importance.
Here are some of the biggest mistakes companies make while using social media:
It’s all about the “likes” — Although it’s important to be well connected on social media, the number of “likes” or “followers” you have is not the only indication of your success. When a company solely focuses on the numbers, they miss out on the chance to develop deeper relationships through meaningful conversation. A mentality of this nature will lead to a large number of low-value followers. Instead of people who are genuinely interested in your product or service, you will find many people who “like” your page and never come back. Companies should instead focus their efforts on quality followers who actually want to interact with them.
Failing to understand your market — It won't matter what you're saying if you say it to the wrong people. Failing to identify potential or existing consumers will hinder the effectiveness of your social media. One of the beauties of social media is the power and potential for word-of-mouth marketing. Once you identify your target, you can follow these people on social media or recommend they follow you. If you are settled in the right market, you will find a unique community of followers with similar interests to that of your company. Creating connections with these people will help to grow your business as followers “share” your content; think of this as free advertising.
Weak Content — Let’s be honest: users of social media aren’t logging on to learn about companies and read ads. In addition to communicating with their family and friends, they want to see content that is exciting, interesting, funny, or shocking — content that is “shareable”. When considering this, you must evaluate your posts. With an overabundance of information, weak content will be swept under the rug and rendered useless.
You must determine how you can be unique. What can you say that nobody else is saying? People will “share” content that interests them, and most importantly, what their friends will find interesting. Therefore, in order for social media to help your business, it is imperative that you understand the content that users want to see.
Not following through — Social media is exactly that — social. Once you post content, your job isn't over. Failing to monitor your interactions on social media can be very harmful. Consumers will "share" your content, leave comments, and interact; these actions are strong indicators of your company's success on social media and should be taken seriously.
When followers respond to your posts make sure to read their comments and take the appropriate measures. Figure out what content is being “shared” or any feedback your followers may have. Social media allows you to have two-sided conversations, so take advantage of this!
Off-strategy — On social media you are representing your brand like any other medium. When the content you present lacks strategy or purpose, it will be ineffective. You need to say the right thing to the right person at the right time. Just as you would spend time polishing an advertising campaign, your posts and tweets should be strategic and refined. Your executions should portray a consistent and clear message. Social media should fit into your other marketing efforts, displaying strong cohesion. If you are a clothing company, this is not a space for you to express your political views or to share random thoughts. Stay true to your company’s values and relevant to the market you service.
Being Anti-Social — Social media is merely the manifestation of human communication in the digital era. Just as we would classify a person as anti-social, online profiles can also be viewed as anti-social.
There are two ways to acquire this label: 1) over-posting and 2) under-posting. If you are constantly bombarding your followers with posts and content, you will annoy them. After all, the primary use of social media sites is not to browse companies. On the other end of the spectrum is infrequency. If you suddenly disappear from their radar, followers will lose interest and forget about you. Striking a balance between the two will help make your company successful on social media.
When used properly, social media can help your company thrive. Be conscious of the decisions you make on social media and take care to monitor your profiles. Avoid making the mistakes that will dilute the value of your marketing or brand image. Seize the opportunity to make lasting relationships with customers through new means of communication.
