Regardless of how crowded the market becomes, every marketer hopes to get their brand in front of as many eyes as possible. It’s no surprise that many people enjoy leveraging the power of social media. It is not uncommon for marketers to make mistakes in an attempt to stand out in these networks.
Social media users can be harsh; if you continue to make the same mistakes, your following will dwindle by the day. Here are 6 social media marketing blunders that every marketer should avoid.
1. Failure to develop a social media marketing strategy
Creating a social media marketing plan may appear to be a no-brainer, but many businesses fail to do so. They fall into the trap of simply posting things on social media without any real strategy. You should treat social media marketing as seriously as you would any other marketing effort.
Make a list of specific goals you want to achieve, then create a budget and an easy-to-follow action plan. This should clearly outline your goals, how you intend to measure your progress, and the number of resources you may require.
2. Failure to define your target audience
Not everyone on social media will be a good fit for your brand. By defining your target audience, you will be able to focus your digital marketing efforts on people who are genuinely interested in your product. No matter how hard you work, if you don’t know your audience, your results will be mediocre.
Convince & Convert, a social media strategy firm, does this exceptionally well, owing to the fact that its founder, Jay Baer, understands that he is in the B2B space, not the B2C space. He ensures that all of the content he publishes includes LinkedIn share buttons, as opposed to the more popular Facebook and Twitter share buttons.
3. Failure to participate in conversations
It makes no difference how many updates you post to your social media channels if no one comments or shares them. That is why you should take the time to create engaging content — content that sparks conversations.
If your updates receive no responses, it may be time to reconsider your digital marketing strategy. And once you’ve gotten your audience to react to your updates, make sure to engage back. A discussion is a two-way street. Even if the comments are negative, respond to them. Remember to remain calm, polite, and friendly.
4. Over-reliance on automation
Automation has the potential to save lives. Indeed, a tool like Social Growr, which assists brands in growing organically on Instagram, can mean the difference between being average and thriving on these platforms. However, if you become too reliant on automation, you risk losing the human touch that your brand persona relies on.
5. Excessive self-promotion
You must be sociable to stand out on social media. Many social media users will develop a dislike for your brand if all you do is promote your content. Instead of growing your audience, you will see it dwindle like a candle in the sun. It is important to promote your brand, but do so subtly.
6. Failure to track analytics
Your social media strategy book should be updated on a regular basis. You must continue to improve it. However, in order to do so, you must be able to see the consequences of your previous actions. Insights into what you’ve done in the past and the outcomes will help you plan for the future. Locate a good analytics tool and evaluate your performance. You will be in a better position to create targeted marketing strategies that will improve the quality of your brand following if you track your analytics.