eBusiness Weekly
Phillip Jonhera
While there are no wrong ways to eat a Reese’s, there are definitely some wrong ways to do social media.
That said, whenever there are wrongs, there are always many rights to counteract them. As a small business, here are some things you need to avoid and some things you need to do to help you get on the right track of using social media effectively to help you increase traffic, leads and sales.
Don’t be selfish
This is a common mistake I see far too often. What does it mean to be selfish in the social media realm? Quite simply, a selfish social business only talks about self.
If you look down your stream of social posts and you only see promotions about your business, sales from your business and things that directly ask others to do something for you, you are being selfish. Selfishness in social media, just like in real life, doesn’t bode well.
Do add value
Social media is another form of communication, which means you have to be interesting and add value in order to get through to your customers, fans and potential business partners.
Think about what types of things you can share with your fans that will get them to fall in love with you. Your goal is to make people crave for the content you share. When you offer value, you will see people constantly checking in on you to see what you have to say today.
Do not take short cuts
Nothing in life comes for free and this goes for social media as well. There is no magic pill to social media. To be successful you have to look at it for the long term.
Buying followers is not going to get you anywhere. And while you may think you are tricking people into thinking you are well-liked and popular, a savvy social media user will see right through it. If you want real results, you need to understand it takes time.
Do focus where it counts
Yes, there are tonnes of social networks out there. But that is by no means you need to be present and active on all of them. Your most important and valuable networks are those that your audience is active on.
Think about your audience and where they hang out online, monitor where your social traffic comes from and spend your time and resources there. Think about your social media as a billboard. You would not spend money on a billboard in the middle of the Los Angeles if your business is in Louisville. The same is true for social media.
Do not steal images
Stealing is wrong, we all know that. Beyond the moral aspect of stealing, there are serious financial pains that will come along with it.
Everyday I hear of a new company who is being fined for using images that aren’t theirs. These fines are hefty too. Use your own images or invest in something like stock images. Believe me, you will be happy you made the right decision.
Be authentic
Being authentic is the key to establishing an online business identity. When you start a business you probably know what this is already.
Stay true to who you are and let that show online. This one is a bit harder to define, but think about this. When someone comes to your online presence, they should know what they are going to get. It’s consistency and it’s authenticity.
Do not be a ghost
I am all for social media automation. In fact, I wrote a whole article on it here. We also use marketing automation through Infusionsoft in our business.
There is nothing wrong with doing it, but you have to do it right. One surefire way to loose at social media is to automate and run. Social media does not sleep, and either should you.
Do test, monitor and report
Each business is different and thus every social media strategy is going to be different. You will never know what works if you do not test different things out.
Of course to know what works you need to monitor different trends, keywords and other pertinent information. Plus, to really show your results you need to report these things. I call it CLEAT method of reporting.
Do not expect the world if you do not give the world
Social media is a two-way stream. You have to give to get. Give your audience value and other things they want. Then when it is time to ask for favours you will not be perceived as selfish.
Do know your audience
Your social media strategy is only good if your audience response and relates to the content you share. If you want to connect with them you are going to have to know who they are like the back of your hand. The better you know your audience, the more targeted your marketing can be.
Do not let your employees run free
If you have employees who are using social media it is very important to have a social media policy in place. Recently, we saw a huge social media no-no happen with Justine Sacco.
If you do not know who she is, here’s a quick run down of what happened: She tweeted something stupid. She was fired. Her company looks dumb. You have to have an open policy for social media and one with rules. If your employees make you look bad, you have to be ready for the backfire.
Do tailor your content to the right network
Each network is different and thus different types of content work best. It’s all about context. If you want to see results you need to play by the rules set forth by the network. For example, on Pinterest info graphics, food and visuals work extremely well.
On Tumblr, it’s all about GIFs. Quotes and articles work well on X. Hashtags and longer form content works best on Google Plus. Business related, value added content works on LinkedIn. And so on. Don’t put the same thing out on every network. It’s lazy.
Do not be afraid of haters
Haters are going to be out there. The worst thing you can do is not be on social media because you are afraid of putting yourself out there.
The good thing is that you are given access to insight that was not available years ago. This allows you to respond when needed and evaluate your operations as necessary. Haters will hate, there is nothing you can do about it.
Do build relationships
Marketing and social media specifically is all about building relationships. By knowing your audience and making a step into learning about them they are going to feel wanted, respected and heard. These are all things humans need. If you can do it socially, you are going to see loyalty and word of mouth in your favour. It’s a must!
Do have something to share
This is the most important point. If you do not have something to share you are not going to succeed on social media. In my opinion, blogging gives you the best type of content to share. Not only will it drive traffic back to your site, but it allows others to share from your site as well. Now that’s a win-win situation!
Phillip Jonhera
Phillip Jonhera is a creative digital marketer and brand identity specialist and the founder at Nova Digital.
