The Dos And Don’ts Of Social Media Marketing

It’s 2016, and every business should understand the power of social media marketing. However, it’s common for a lot of companies to get things wrong with their strategies.

In this article, I’ll be revealing the dos and don’ts of social media for your business:

(pixabay: https://goo.gl/e5tK3M)

Dos

Let’s start things off with some things that you must do!

 

Post Regular Updates

One of the keys to social media marketing is ensuring your business stays relevant at all times. And, the best way to do this is by making regular updates. If your company is constantly posting on social media, then it will grow a bigger online presence. Think about it logically; people aren’t going to follow your accounts if you don’t post any content.

They want to have their social media timelines filled with interesting and entertaining content. You need to be posting on a daily basis, multiple times in each day. If you’re struggling for ideas, there are websites like locowise.com with plenty of advice.

Even if you have a solid follower base, you must keep up the regular content. What use will 100,000 followers be if you aren’t providing content? They won’t even see your company on their timelines; it will be pointless! Make sure you’re posting regular updates and keeping people interested.

 

Create Various Content

Continuing the talk of content, we move on to something else you need to do. All social media campaigns must contain various content. What do I mean by this? I mean you have to mix up what you post. Don’t rely on text content to help you be as effective as possible.

Yes, it’s good, but you should combine it with other things too. Post images and videos along with text content to have the maximum effect. This helps keep your followers engaged, and entices new ones too.

The great idea is to create and post infographics. They combine text and imagery perfectly! The good thing is, there are sites like venngage.com that let you create them yourself.

 

Have A Good Management System In Place

Another thing you must do is ensure you have a good management system in place. Running various social media accounts can be very tricky. It’s easy to forget about one, and not keep up to date with content. As I mentioned earlier, regular updates are key to maintaining a good online presence! The secret to this is with your social media management. Most people opt for outside help with this, as it’s more convenient.

There are companies that can take care of your social media for you. They’ll deal with customer queries, and ensure you’re posting regular content across all of your platforms. If this interests you, then you can learn about FireflySearch.co.nz or other companies that offer this service.

Some people think they can run their social media campaigns all by themselves. And, this may be possible if you have lots of time on your hands. Social media management requires lots of dedication; it’s something that will take up a lot of your time. As such, most people prefer to outsource this job.

(Link: https://flic.kr/p/G1dDuf)

Don’ts

Along with these dos, there are numerous things you shouldn’t do too:

 

Stick To One Platform

A common misconception is that one social media platform is better than the rest. Many companies think it’s more worthwhile to devote their time to one platform. However, this is the wrong way to go about things. By spending too much time on Facebook, you miss out on all the people that only use Twitter or Instagram. It’s more logical to create accounts on all social media platforms out there. This way, you ensure you’re getting the most amount of exposure possible.

Also, remember my point about using different types of content? Well, certain social media sites are better suited for different things. For example, Instagram is perfect for posting photos or short videos. Twitter is great for short bursts of text, and Facebook is ideal for longer videos. It’s impossible to be as fruitful as can be if you stick to one platform.

 

Invest Too Much Money From The Start

One of the great things about social media marketing is that it can be done for free. There are certain things that you don’t have to pay for, and can help you get started. For example, creating accounts is totally free. Posting content doesn’t cost a penny either. Don’t fall into the trap of investing tonnes of money right from the start. Try and do things for free to start with, and then broaden your horizons.

Once you’ve established a solid base, then you can look at spending money. And, make sure you spend it in areas that warrant spending. For example, I mentioned hiring a company to manage social media; that’s a clever expense. Likewise, buying adverts on social media is another smart investment. If you don’t know how to do this, then see articles on sites like blog.hootsuite.com.

 

Argue With Customers

Finally, we conclude with one of the most important things in social media marketing. No matter what, don’t argue with your customers! I know, it seems like such an obvious statement to make, right? Surely companies don’t argue with people on social media? Well, they do, and it happens more than you might think. It’s easy to lose your cool and start replying to someone that attacks your business online.

But, a lot of the time, companies are doing it to try and seem cool and go viral. There are countless reports of a business Twitter account making sarcastic remarks at customers. Sometimes, it can be funny and you gain popularity. Most of the time, it has the opposite effect. It just isn’t worth the risk; social media can damage your brand if things go wrong. You can see some examples on zdnet.com of when brands get hurt by social media fails.

 

So, there you have it, the dos and don’ts of social media marketing. If you found this article useful, then maybe you’ll enjoy this one too. Social media can help you grow your business; it’s important you know how to use it!