Social media has taken the digital world by storm in recent years, and these days there aren’t many people who haven’t heard the term before. In fact, those that aren’t using social media – whether that be for business or personal use – are actually in the minority. From restaurants to interior designers, almost everyone is using social media as a way to build brand awareness.
However, just how effective can social media be for your business?
Well, the short answer would be ‘very’, but there are several things that need to be considered in order to execute this.
With this in mind, we have devised a list of the the most common social media mistakes – and how to avoid them – so that you and your business can obtain the maximum benefits of using this popular digital alternative to enhance your brand.
So, checklist at the ready!
1. Don’t fail to post regularly
There have been several debates over the years on what constitutes ‘too many’ posts per day, but on the contrary, not posting enough can have an equally negative effect.
You want to keep at the forefront of followers’ minds without overdoing it, and it’s been suggested that an average of 3 to 5 times a day is a sufficient amount. This could depend on the type of business you run and what kind of things you are trying to get across to your followers, however, so bear this in mind.
If you are a clothing company, there is nothing worse than having an Instagram account and rarely posting pictures of garments. It shows a lack of enthusiasm and can even make your business appear lazy. Regular updates and posts will showcase a passion for your brand and will thus encourage your audience to obtain that same level of passion.
You can even schedule posts on Facebook if you want to share something at a specific time. This is quite useful if your business is running a competition and you want to attract as much attention as possible at key times in the day (i.e. lunch time, after work etc.).
2. Don’t ignore your followers
When it comes to running a successful social media profile for your business, engagement is paramount. By interacting with your followers you are allowing them to put their trust in you and vice versa. It’s crucial to speak to people as much as possible, try to find out a bit about them and make them feel at ease. They are more likely going to remember who you are and your brand if you engage with them on a regular basis.
The same can be said for responding to messages. Don’t be a business that doesn’t reply to questions, queries or general comments. This will give your brand a bad image and may suggest that you aren’t concerned about your followers’ needs. By responding frequently, your audience will gain respect for you and feel comfortable about reaching out to you in the future.
It’s great to have a personal approach towards your followers because so many businesses are deemed similar. There are loads of smoothie companies and skincare brands, for example, so make yours stand out. Let your personality shine through and build a relationship with your audience. After all, it’s nice for them to know that your profile is monitored by humans, not robots.
3. Don’t forget about your competitors
Virtually every business out there is using social media as their weapon of choice when it comes to promoting their brand, so chances are, there will be other businesses like yours that are hoping to achieve the same goals as you. This is why you should always keep an eye out on your competitors, and it can’t hurt to make notes on what you find.
You may notice something another business does well, and incorporate that same method into your social media efforts. On the other hand, you could spot something that doesn’t work for a particular business and try to avoid doing it for your own brand, just to be on the safe side.
Facebook have even got on board with this and allow businesses to keep up-to-date with their competition. By clicking the Pages to Watch section, you can easily keep track of the pages you would like to monitor regularly.
4. Don’t spam too much
There’s nothing wrong with using your social media profiles to promote your business, but if that’s all you do, you can run the risk of losing followers. Social media is a great way to post articles you think your followers will enjoy whilst promoting your own blog content, too.
People don’t like to be sold anything unless it’s their decision to buy, so rather than overdoing it, try a softer approach. Offer solutions and expertise as opposed to trying to sell, sell, sell. Making a connection is much more valuable than making a sale and once you have built up a good, honest relationship with your audience, the sales will come naturally.
5. Don’t give up
It’s easy to create a social media profile for your business and expect it to take off overnight – who wouldn’t want that? However, it’s important to be patient during this process. Social media is constantly evolving and it’s wise to remember that this will be a learning curve for your brand. You will discover what does and doesn’t work along the way and improvements can be made accordingly.
If you learn the do’s and don’ts of social media marketing, and apply these to your own profiles, you will notice a development and growth within your business in no time. Share your knowledge and give your audience a chance to learn as much about you as possible. You will build up a loyal team of followers this way and brand awareness for your business will inevitably increase.
So, now you have learnt the basics, you should have a pretty good idea of social media etiquette and what makes an effective social media profile.
We know that not all forms of social media will work for every business, but whether you choose Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or any other type of platform – following these handy hints will surely push your business in the direction it needs to go in to reach its full potential.
Here at Neil Walker Digital Group, we have a great team of social media executives that are more than happy to answer any questions you may have on how to build brand awareness via digital platforms. For more information, contact us on 07816897301, or alternatively, you can fill out our contact form and someone will get back to you promptly.