Social media can be a great marketing tool for businesses. When used correctly, it can help you build up brand awareness, attract new customers, and boost your bottom line.
The trouble is, there are a lot of mistakes local businesses can make on social media platforms. If used incorrectly, not only will your efforts prove ineffective, but it could also potentially damage your brand.
So, what mistakes should you avoid? Discover 6 mistakes businesses make on social media below…
No two social media platforms are the same. Each one attracts a specific type of audience. Determining where your ideal audience hangs out is crucial. If you simply post on any platform, you may find you don’t see much in the way of results. You won’t get as much engagement and your marketing efforts will be wasted.
Carry out research to determine which platform your audience is mostly using.
Another common mistake local businesses make is using too many social media platforms. Logically, the more platforms you are on, the larger the audience you will reach. However, there are a few downsides to using multiple platforms.
Not only is it really difficult to keep up with multiple platforms, it also diminishes the quality of your content. Stick to one social media platform and focus on producing quality posts that engage your audience.
One of the reasons social media is so useful for businesses is because it lets them interact with their audience. Engagement is highly important in marketing these days as consumers look to build a relationship with the brands they buy from. If you consistently ignore your customers, it isn’t going to paint you in a good light.
Make sure any reviews customers leave are responded to in a timely manner. Thank customers for their good reviews, and try and address issues with negative ones. Show your customers you care about their experience and offer a resolution to any issue they have.
While you want to obviously use social media to promote your business, you should never solely post promotional content.
Use your channel to help solve common issues your customers experience. Host competitions and giveaways, and ask your followers and fans to let you know any problems they are currently experiencing. This will give you a good idea of the type of content they will find useful. It also boosts engagement and shows you care about your customers.
Most social media platforms allow you to create and upload videos. Did you know that videos can be more than twice as effective as written content? If your local business is yet to utilize videos on your social media channel, now is the time to do so.
Live videos work particularly well at drawing in an audience. The question is what should you create a video about? You can start by focusing on any current challenges your audience faces. How can you help them solve it? Create a video showing or explaining to them the solution to their problems.
Do you have a solid social media strategy? If not, now is the time to create one.
Without a strategy, you won’t know what you are posting, when it should be posted, or who you are posting it to. When you have a strategy in place, it can save you time and a lot of effort in the long term.
You can create your strategy based on your goals. What do you want to achieve from your social media channel and what type of posts are going to help? While it does take time to initially create a strategy, it will save you a ton of time when it comes to posting on the platform.
These are just 6 mistakes local businesses make on social media. If you want to ensure your efforts aren’t wasted, you’ll want to follow the tips above to avoid these common mistakes.
Posting regularly on your social media platforms is important. However, what you post and who you post it to plays a large role in how successful your efforts are.
