7 Common Social Media Mistakes Businesses Make with their Accounts
Social media as a marketing tactic is becoming more and more increasingly important, especially in today's business climate.
Understanding the importance of how to utilize these platforms like, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and others is some what of a cluster fuck.
Social media offers the opportunity to interact with customers & prospects quickly. The many benefits for a business is: increasing sales, increasing brand awareness, building trust and improving customer service.
BUT...........
While social media offers many benefits there are many mistakes companies and businesses make when managing the social media accounts. And the most common is simply understanding the basics, which can lead to loss of money AND credibility.
Learn how you can better manage your social media quickly & easily here
Let's get started.............
1. Ignoring complaint and comments
What do we do before we order something off of Amazon? We read reviews. We see what other people are commenting on. And why do we do this? Sometimes 5 stars isn't always 5 stars.
So we look at the actual comments. To see what people are actually saying whether it is good or bad and then we determine if we want to buy.
And this is why it is important for companies to respond to both good and bad comments on their reviews. And manage them ASAP.
The best customer service to to recognize a bad complaint. It isn't to try and convince that person YOU as a company are right and they are wrong. They simply want to be heard. And responding fast is key.
Plus Google will rank companies based on their comments within the reviews. Not just related to the amount of stars. So if you want to start ranking hire, start responding.
For more on managing your companies reviews go here
2. Preventing customers from signing up outside of work hours
We've all experienced the chat bots after hours. We go through all the questions only to come to getting a response that makes us wait until someone is available during "normal business hours."
Did you know 60% of prospects go onto a companies website "after normal business hours?" So that means, DURING normal business hours, less than half are visiting. That's a lot of potential customers being missed out. Imagine if you could capture just 10% of those after hours into real business?
With social media, it is the same thing. not allowing access 24/7 is a major NO NO! And what I mean by access is not allowing them to sign up after normal work hours. By allowing them access 24/7, you open them up to more of what your company has to offer. Promotions, giveaways, exclusive offers and more. Click on the above link for more details on how you can automate this step in your social media endeavors.
3. Over posting!
Some people think posting more means more customers. More business. More visibility.
WRONG!
Over posting can become just "noise" and can actually turn people off. You heard the saying, "too much of a good thing can be taxing?" It literally means, too much is too much.
And the rule of social media is getting engagement. Not over posting digital overload. We already have that. Messaging needs to be clear, engaging, converting and not over load.
Always have a call to action. You want your followers to become customers. So you have to draw them to your posts and then to your website. For more on this click here
4. Not asking questions
This is one that a lot of companies seem to fail on. Is not asking questions in their social media posts. Here's the thing:
No one cares about that award you won
No one cares where you rank on a quadrant
No one cares about that next webinar
No one cares about your products
It's about engagement. It's about connecting with your audience. Your prospects.
By asking questions, gets the discussions going. You want people to comment. You want to see what your followers are saying. You can't get a real inside track at how to improve on marketing or messaging if you don't know what they are really thinking.
Post questions that require an answer more than Yes or No.
Get insight. It's literally FREE "how to improve and target your audience to get engagement messaging on all your platforms" knowledge.
5. Not investing in a professional.
Let's be honest, there's a lot to do in any given day but being on top of social media is a must have in today's world. And sometimes, having a professional to simply set up, manage and post on your behalf, will not only save you time but help on other tasks that need attention.
The one thing that cannot be slacked on is managing social media and doing it properly. Even if it is just getting everything set up. And you can hire someone like ReShift your social media posts on a weekly basis or Do It Yourself with this awesome tool
6. Not promoting
It's free. So why not promote? In this world, it's all about self promotion. So promote away.
You have that new product? Promote it.
New service? New feature? New update? New look? New office? PROMOTE IT!
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. But keep the promotions in moderation. If all you are doing is promoting product and services all the time, then it will sound like "noise" and turn people off.
7. Not using the right platform
Some people think a certain platform is NOT for their business, so they will overlook it and miss out on a huge opportunity. While others stick with a certain platform because they don't know any better or assume it is the best one for them.
Ex: Someone might not use LinkedIn because they think what they sell, their audience won't be on that platform. I mean, who would be on LinkedIn of you sell real estate or workout plans or are a fashion consultant.
The problem with that is, you are missing out on a HUGE opportunity. Do you know how many CEOs are on LinkedIn that might be looking for a house? Commercial real estate? Have friend and colleagues they can refer you to?
Or that same CEO want to shed some pounds? Or dress better? Don't miss the opportunity by not being on the right platform.
And then there are those who want to only be on Facebook or Twitter, when that might be great for personal, what if your clientele isn't on those platforms, then you are missing out.
And one more thing: FACEBOOK ISN'T LINKEDIN. So treat is as such. LinkedIn is professional. Keep it professional. But keep your company's "personality" in it.
Dan Marx is the CEO and Founder of ReShift, an all-things Sales, Marketing & Operations firm. With over 25yrs experience in Supply Chain, Sales & Marketing, Dan built his company based on these principles: Companies need to look at the company as a whole to be successful. Not just a few areas separately.
For more on ReShift or getting a quick start go to www.r3shift.com
If you are interested in Dan being a guest speaker, key-note speaker, panelists, podcast guest, trainer, consultant, contributor to your blog, articles or simply interested in interviewing contact him direct at dmarx@r3shift.com