Apart from having the best trade show displays in your business and using a host of other marketing strategies for your business, you are thinking of embracing and prioritizing social media, because you are aware that that is where most of your prospects are. The good news is, you are heading in the right direction!
However, you need to know that using social media to market your business is not as easy as it sounds. You don’t just wake up, put up your North Carolina business ad on Facebook or any other social media platforms and expect clients to come calling. It is not that easy!
If you want to increase your ROI when using social media as a digital marketing tool, there are some missteps that you need to avoid, which include;
Proceeding without a strategy
Most business owners believe that marketing on social media is as easy as sending a couple of tweets. There is more than meets the eye. If you start without a plan, know from the outset that you will not succeed, and the initial investment you pump into your marketing efforts will without a doubt go down the drain.
Creating a strategy means that you have to define realistic goals, think about the social media voice of your brand, develop a clear social media policy, and come up with a content calendar that will conform to your goals and objectives.
Remember that without a strategy, you will develop the best content on the internet, but you will receive close to no engagement. Therefore, if you cannot develop a good plan yourself, consider hiring a social media professional to do it for you.
Not integrating social media platforms with other digital assets
Social media will work best for your grand if you integrate it with other forms of digital marketing. If you leave your social media on islands as most business owners do, rest assured that you will get nothing out of your campaign regardless of how good it is. Link all accounts through profiles, and directly tie them to paid search advertising campaigns, emails, and websites. Doing this will increase the amount of reach for every platform.
Targeting the wrong audience
Doing an audience analysis is one of the most important things you should do before developing a social media strategy. One mistake that most businesses do is target the ‘general public’ and assume that their prospects will get the message in the process. This could cost you time, money, and sleepless nights you spend thinking through and planning your strategy. Ensure that your campaign is audience-centered, and you understand the needs of your target market before sending out a message.
Not using images
According to research, about 40% of people will respond better to visual information than plain text. For this reason, try as much as possible to use relevant images in every social media post. Remember, don’t use an image just because you have to. Instead, use the one you feel will work best within the context of your message, and one capable of attracting readership.
Over-marketing your brand
Regardless of the engagement, you have received in the past, don’t be tempted to believe that the more you market your brand, the better. No! People will get tired very fast if you bombard them with messages all the time. They might even unfollow you, or mute your notifications. Therefore, come up with a content calendar, and only market your brand when it is most appropriate to do so.
When you avoid the mistakes mentioned above, there is no reason why you should not use social media to drive traffic, increase leads, conversions, sales, and ultimately, get profits for your business. All the best!