How many times a day do you check-in on your social media accounts? Once a day? Over your lunch and coffee breaks? A goodnight scroll through your feeds? On average, Americans check their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other accounts 17 times a day (that’s at least once every waking hour!) So it is no surprise that businesses are trying to keep up with this captive audience by incorporating their own social media strategy into their marketing mix.
Business owners and novice social-butterflies are quickly realizing there is more to managing successful social business accounts than posting a few photos and announcing a sale to followers. It’s all about creating a succinct social media strategy that complements your marketing plan and key messages while engaging your target market.
Here are five common social media sins and a few tips and tricks to get brands back on track.
Sin #1:
Choosing the wrong network for your business
Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google+… It seems like every few months a new “it” network emerges. Don’t worry; your brand doesn’t have to be on all of them. Find the channel(s) that best conveys your message to your target audience and start there. It’s better to have one solid group of engaged followers than to try to manage too many pages that may not be well suited to achieving your goals.
Tip: Make sure your company Facebook page is a Brand Page and not a personal profile. They are designed for unlimited Likes, are public and provide tools to promote your page and posts to your followers and target market.
Sin #2:
Posting without a plan
Sure, your cat wearing a hat may get a lot of likes on your personal social page, but when posting to your customers you shouldn’t be throwing up photos on a whim. The biggest difference between a personal and business social media page is strategy. Your business content is an extension of your branding, an opportunity to share your story and brand essence. A structured outline of what to post and when to post it is needed.
Tip: While your social platforms may allow for a more casual approach to your messaging, proper spelling and grammar are a must. Proofread your posts!
Sin #3:
Not being present
Being consistent with your social media strategy and engagement tactics are crucial. It is an ongoing process and marketing commitment that needs to be cultivated for growth. Sporadic posting and not responding to followers’ questions and comments are considered to be bad form and bad customer service. It’s called SOCIAL media for a reason!
Tip: Designate a team member to be responsible for keeping your pages up to date by liking and responding to comments in a (pre-determined) timely manner.
Sin #4:
Ignoring or deleting negative comments
Social media pages have become a public forum for customer service issues. While you may not like having a negative post appear on your page, it is an opportunity to showcase your amazing customer service skills. It is always appropriate to validate the comment and ask the user to discuss the issue by phone or email to better understand how you can resolve their problem.
Tip: Post a customer testimonial to bring light to things you are doing right!
Sin #5:
Posting without visuals
On personal social profiles, it isn’t necessary to accompany every thought or statement with a photograph but on business platforms, visuals are almost always required. It helps to engage followers and make your posts stand out from the sea of content on each platform. Take advantage of the opportunity to show, as well as tell, the meaning behind your message.
Tip: There are many cost-effective digital image resources available online with exceptional photographs for purchase. Download a few favourites and keep them on-hand for content inspiration.
Have more questions? Don’t know where to start with your business’ social media strategy? Suite 203 can help. Contact us to start boosting your presence in this increasingly social world.
