Most business owners realize that social media is an integral part of marketing. The top social media sites for marketing are Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, followed by Pinterest and Snapchat. Many businesses don’t perform well on social media because of a lack of time investment or making vital mistakes. Here are the most common mistakes businesses make on social media.
Pushy Sales Tactics
Even if you offer a great product or service, if you flood your social media platforms with endless sales pitches, this could be irritating to your followers, and they may stop following you. Even if people follow you to learn about the product or service you offer, you have to balance your posts to be something other than pushy sales tactics. You should also avoid bombarding direct messages with sales pitches instead of genuine interactive messages.
Posting Too Much
Even if your posts aren’t pushy sales pitches, there is such a thing as posting too much. This type of posting can have a similar effect on annoying followers and potential customers to going elsewhere. Posting great and engaging content in reasonable amounts can have a strong positive impact on your business. The occasional solicitation of business won’t be rejected and may even be shared by followers if they think your product or service brings value. Be thoughtful about what you post and how much you post.
No Activity
Some businesses create a social media presence then go silent after gathering followers. Though overposting and being pushy is frowned upon, your business’s followers expect to see some activity. As a business owner, you have to find the balance between too much and too little. Make it a point in your workday to carve out time to post or do a quick and valuable live video. Even sharing a pic about what you are doing that day can keep your audience engaged and sticking with you as a follower and potential customer.
Bad Customer Service
Often customers will use your social media presence to post comments or questions about your business. These comments or questions must be addressed and promptly. Many times other potential customers are waiting to see your response as much as the person who posted the original comment or question. When you respond, even if the person you were addressing was negative, keep your response positive and professional even if the person had a bad experience. If your answer is timely and professional, that customer can be turned around.
Neglecting Your Followers
Always engage your followers. Don’t treat social media as a one way street of you posting and expecting your followers to respond without reciprocation. Visit your follower’s profiles and make comments or throw some likes on their posts. It won’t go unnoticed that you are paying attention to your followers, which can significantly impact your business.
Being Too Formal
People on social media know when they see posts that are canned or formal. Your followers want you to be real and warm; posts that sound robotic or stiff will quickly lose you, followers. Using a casual tone and engaging with your followers will go a long way to retaining them and turning them into potential customers. Also, using humor goes a long way towards engaging your followers; everyone likes to laugh.
Poor Grammar and Bad Taste
Always thoroughly check your posts for errors, and even after you post, correct it if you catch a mistake. A few typos on occasion won’t kill your business, but consistently posting content with errors will quickly lose you customers and potentially kill your business. Also, your business posts are not the place for controversy or complaint. Though you are encouraged to keep it casual, the taste level must always remain high.
Conclusion
Proper use of social media for your business can have a significant and positive impact on sales and loyal customers. Avoid these common mistakes, and your social media presence will equal business success!
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