Social Media Marketing – What to do and what not to do!
Social Media Marketing is a great tool for businesses wanting to promote their brand, but it isn’t just a case of posting randomly and hoping for traction. There are some fundamental do and do nots to consider.
Do:
Set objectives and track your results
Knowing what you want to achieve by using Social Media goes without saying. Set yourself clear objectives and targets which are aligned to your business goals.
Regularly check your progress and track your results to understand what is working and what isn’t.
Create a schedule
For the love of all things Social, create a schedule and don’t just post willy-nilly. There are so many scheduling tools available which allow you to create your posts in advance and schedule them to go live at a future date.
When you’re scheduling, you can plan just how regularly you want to post. Pick a frequency that suits you and don’t over commit. Will you still want to be posting 5 times a day in 6 months’ time and more importantly will your content be of any value to your Customers? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, that’s fantastic! Go for it, but if the answer is no, then scale it back to a more manageable level.
Watch your tone
Creating a personable yet professional tone on Social Media can be tricky and whilst it will depend on the type of business, in my opinion err on the side of caution. If you think something will offend, don’t post it. Of course, at some point in time you’re bound to offend someone so just adopt a sensible approach, would you want your Gran to see it?
Consider if you want your personal and business accounts to be associated or not. If you do keep them closely linked make sure there’s nothing on either of them that could damage the other.
Be Creative
Attention spans are getting shorter (well done if you’ve read this far) and if your posts aren’t interesting people won’t follow you or at least they won’t for long!
Be creative with your artwork. Vary your image format. Use infographics and videos. Switch up the type of content you use. Be informative. Be personable and funny (if applicable).
Don’t:
Sell Sell Sell
It’s called Social Media not Sales Media for a reason! This is not the place for your Sales Pitch. Make sure most of your content is either helpful and informative or entertaining rather than directly related to your products or services. Constantly adopting a hard sell approach via Social Media will turn your Customers off.
Use platforms for the sake of it
If your Customers aren’t on a certain Social Media platform, don’t use it! Not only is it a waste of your time but it can also harm your brand. As a solicitor is being on Snapchat really appropriate? Are your Customers’ really going to be researching where to find their next legal representative on TikTok?
Make silly typos
The statement ‘everyone’s a critic’ couldn’t be truer when it comes to Social Media!
The incorrect usage of their and there or a lower case ‘i’ can really damage your credibility.
Typos happen, especially if you’ve not planned in advance or given yourself time to proofread your post. Try to avoid making silly spelling or grammar mistakes. Always double check your posts before making them live. If you can, get someone else to check them as well!
#overusehashtags
Using appropriate hashtags is a great way to connect your posts to other relevant posts and helps with online visibility. However, it becomes #reallyannoying if you #overusehashtags and #canlookspammy, especially if you combine lots of words together. #dontdoit, #IthinkIhaveprovedmypoint!
Ignore your followers
Don’t leave your followers hanging, if someone comments on a post, respond. Don’t ignore them, they are integral to your success! Encourage them to get involved by providing Social Media giveaways and competitions for those that like, share, follow etc.
Act in a silo
This is so important! Don’t keep your Social Media separate to the rest of your Marketing efforts!! Your Marketing Plan is what drives your Social Media Marketing and not the other way around. Make sure your messaging, core values and branding are seamlessly aligned across all your Marketing efforts.
Get in touch to discuss how BEAN Marketing can help you with your Social Media Marketing