Social media is a form of marketing that is important to help increase brand awareness and customer insight. When social media is used effectively, you can expect increased SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and online traffic, which can, in turn, increase sales profits. However, some companies still don’t know how to use social media in the right way, that’s why we have collated a list of seven things NOT to do when implementing social media into your marketing plan.
- Inconsistency
Although there are many forms of social media that all require a slightly different tone of voice, your message throughout your post should be consistent. Not only your message, but your overall posts should be scheduled and regular to ensure you keep your audience interested and engaged.
2. Automation gone wrong
Scheduling can take time so automated scheduling websites can help manage your posts and interaction over a range of sites. However, a team member should always monitor social media posts, so customers can receive personalised replies and embarrassing mishaps are avoided.
3. Ignoring your followers
Although social media is a great outlet for posting information about products and services, it is also a strong method of interaction that should be used between a brand and their customers. Therefore, it is important to answer all customer questions or queries, social media should be used as a form of communication which in turn, can help build brand loyalty and a strong brand image.
4. Not measuring your social media metrics
One of social medias great benefits is its ability to track interactions when posts are made, this is a useful feature for businesses as you can see if your goals are being achieved via social media metrics. This helps you plan for future goals as you can alter your objectives according to the results of your current content.
5. Forgetting to be personal
It is a common fact that people buy from people, so revealing the individuals behind your brand will help gain you more genuine followers. Even if you’re a corporate brand, by posting the occasional funny photo or inside joke you are more likely to gain interactions and create a more genuine brand image.
6. Repeating yourself
Finding another purpose for content on a different social media site is perfectly acceptable however, bombarding your followers with the same content repeatedly is not. There is a small variety of popular social media platforms so repeatedly using the same content can quickly become an annoyance to your followers. Try to use a varied amount of posts across your platforms or ensure you use a different format if you need to repeat yourself.
7. Not taking social media seriously
Although social media is seen as a modern and fun media outlet, when used for business it becomes a part of your internal marketing strategy. Therefore, all team members should be aware of its importance to ensure there are no social media fails. Typos and grammatical errors may seem like minor mistakes, but would you want them to be representational of your brand?
So although building a social media presence for your company might be difficult, with these tips on what NOT to do, you will be more equip on how to make your brand more visual online. Building a social media following requires patience, consistency and commitment to learn what your customers need and want from your social media platforms.
If you require any help or assist in building a social media presence or just keeping your posts more consistent, please let us know here at Brighter Directions. We offer outsourced services covering PR, Social Media, Content and more. Call our office today on 01246 586 330 to discuss your requirements.
