As a small business owner, you are probably already pretty active on social media. (If you’re not, let’s change that!)
No matter what social networks you are using, if you want social media to be an effective marketing tool, you should avoid doing a few things.
Oversharing
It’s ok to get a little personal on social media (in fact, it’s encouraged!), but there’s a fine line between what a little personal and sharing too much. Remember, your social media accounts are for your business, so your posts should be geared toward your ideal client. Whenever you post anything, think about whether or not your audience would enjoy it. If you wouldn’t say it to your client in a face to face meeting, you shouldn’t post it on social media.
Promote All The Time
While promoting your business is the reason you’re on social media in the first place, no one wants to feel like they are constantly being sold to. Your posts should be a mixture of helpful content and behind the scenes of your business, with a few promos sprinkled in. The more value you bring to your audience, the more receptive they will be to your promotional posts. Selling all the time makes you feel desperate and will cause people to unfollow you.
Bad Mouth Your Competition
Social media is about building a community, and sometimes that community may include people that do the same thing as you. No one likes a troll. Attacking or bad-mouthing your competitors is a huge turn-off and may even get you blocked or banned from certain sites. A better use of your time; find ways to collaborate with your competitors instead of shooting them down. It’s all about community over competition!
Ignore Your Community
Don’t forget about the social aspect of social media. Reply to comments people leave on your posts and thank your fans for sharing your content. Leave genuine comments on posts of people you are following and engage in conversations. Thank fans for their raving reviews and respond to any negative feedback professionally. The more active you are, the bigger your community will be, so be sure to respond to what people are saying.
Following these best practices will help you create an active and engaged social media community. If you’re having trouble with social media management, we would love to chat. Contact us today.
