Most businesses now understand that social media marketing is an important part of the overall marketing strategy; but understanding all the nuances of success with social media is another thing entirely. Many businesses struggle to get social media marketing right. Some find the sweet spot, but some companies try to do too much. Make sure that your company isn’t making these 3 fatal social media mistakes.
Mistake #1: Trying to Execute a Plan for Every Social Media Network
Social media marketing is important for just about every business today. Some assume that you have to be on every social network. However, jumping in and trying to have a presence on every social media network isn’t the answer, It’s like trying to be “all things to all people”. It’s usually not possible, and likely not even wise to spend resources on every channel. Sure, you should grab your vanity url and set up an account on every social network, but there is no need to be active on every one. Instead, evaluate which one channel or which few channels are the best options for your company. Then, commit to that one channel or those few channels. Make sure that you have enough resources to accurately and effectively execute the strategy for the channels you choose.
Mistake #2: Failing to Recognize the Importance of Social Customer Service
Once you do establish your presence on social media, you must understand that customer service is a vital part of it. Your customer service and social media teams must work together and all social media staff should be trained in customer service tactics and techniques employed by your company. You can utilize monitoring software that will alert you to comments so that you can be on top of responding. Never ignore your followers’ comments, and use best practices to answer comments and complaints. Here is a list of some of those best practices in responding to social media comments or complaints:
- Answer as quickly as possible.
- Don’t antagonize and avoid emotional confrontations.
- Take the conversation offline.
- Understand that the rest of the audience reading just wants to know you care enough to fix problems and does not care about the details of this particular incident.
- Post a follow up thank you note after the issue has been resolved.
Mistake #3; Failing to Measure and Monitor Your Social Presence
Just being social isn’t enough. It is still marketing, and must still be measured, just like any other type of marketing campaign. Using tools to monitor and measure your social media effectiveness, such as those offered by Isentia, makes it easy and efficient to see how your efforts are performing. Tools are there to help you keep in touch with and respond to followers. Measuring results helps you know which type of posts perform best, who your audience is, and what type of an ROI you are getting for your efforts. Media monitoring tools can help you learn not only what is being said about your company and your brand on social media, but in other online and offline channels, as well.
Summary
Deciding to jump into social media is only half of it. Make sure that you are not making the 3 fatal mistakes we discussed. Don’t assume you have to be on every social network. Don’t ignore followers’ comments on your social channels. Don’t assume you can be successful with social media without monitoring and measuring results. Embrace social media marketing and treat it just as you would any other campaign or strategy for your business.
