Starting your company is one of, if not the, defining moments in your life. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to do everything at once, including handling every facet of your marketing. While you probably have experience posting on Facebook, or creating beautiful images for Instagram, marketing on social media is vastly different. If you’re treating your business accounts like your personal account, chances are you’re doing more harm than good! Don’t fall into the common traps that can derail your business before it gets going.
Know Your Audience Well
Simply posting content won’t get you very far. Even putting money behind ads won’t help you if you aren’t going after your best audience. Your business plan likely has your desired audience laid out, and you need to transfer that data to your ads. Make sure you understand which platform will best reach your target audience. Use your social media ad budget wisely instead of casting a wide net and hoping for the best. If you operate a brick and mortar, beware – your online audience may be vastly different!
Understand Less Can Be More
It’s easy to try and juggle every social platform out there. If you’re attempting to use Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, and all the other popular apps, you could spread yourself thin. Having one or two platforms that you carefully grow will lead to more success down the line when you want to expand. A smaller but engaged audience is better than a spread out audience across 10 platforms that scroll past your content. Don’t burn yourself out!
Avoid Repetitive Content
Recycling in the real world is good, but not so much in social media. If you are copy/pasting the same posts across every channel on the same day, you’re going to get eye rolls of exasperation from your customers. If you are having a sale, make unique ads for each platform. If you are posting an article related to your business, make sure you use it on one channel at a time. Each channel needs to be a unique experience for the people that support you on multiple channels.
Write Like Hemingway
You’re excited about your business, as you should be, but sometimes that excitement can lead to posts that are far too long. Keep your Facebook posts around 250 characters, and Tweets around 100. Hit the important bullets, and let your visuals or articles tell your story, not your posts.
Listen to your customers
No one wants to get a complaint, but it will happen. No business is going to make everyone happy, and that’s ok. The problem is not responding to the complaint and learning from it. Always respond quickly, and handle it just like you would in person. Take feedback from you customers, negative and positive, and use it to grow into what speaks to them.
Don’t Do It All Yourself
Operating a company’s social media is not going to be easy. It is often a 24/7 job, and it’s going to feel like it. Social media is complicated, and takes a great deal of time to master. Having a professional help you out is the best way to save yourself time, and it will help make sure you’re getting the most out of your platforms. That way you have the time to devote to growing your business and not keeping up with all the new social changes.
With a little help and a clear vision, you can make social media one of your greatest assets! Don’t be intimidated; be proactive!
