Social media can be seriously profitable for your business. “It’s the secret low cost marketing weapon used by the leading entrepreneurs. But, it can go horribly wrong if you make these mistakes…” explains today’s 30 Days of Social Media contributor, Meredith Collins.
Meredith Collins identifies 11 social media mistakes that you don’t want to make.
Mistake #1. Trying to sell something.
Although it might seem counter intuitive, if you try to pitch something too soon you are bound for disaster. Social Media is like a big party. You wouldn’t walk into a party and start selling everyone your products. You would spend time to make friends and get to know people. You would share some things about yourself and have conversations with people who were on your wavelength. Social Media is relationship and referral marketing amplified – so use this as a PR machine, not a straight sales tool.
Mistake #2. Lack of consistency.
If you decide to use Social Media then commit consistent time to the process of using it. Dependent upon your strategy, you may need to ”tweet” daily or ”blog”/”post” every few days or weekly.
Whatever the strategy, consistency is key and you must devise a plan and stick to it.
Your target market needs consistency and reliability – your commitment and visibility speaks volumes about your business.
Mistake #3. Wrong place wrong market.
Choose your social media sites well. Be strategic about which sites you use and where your target market is looking. A local business may not be using the same social media as a specialised, niche or global business. This is not about throwing balls in the air and hoping they will land correctly – it is a powerful relationship marketing tool.
Mistake #4. Joining too many Social Sites.
I always say to clients ”don’t do four sites badly – you are better off doing one really well”. Be strategic about which sites you use, add value and manage them well. The big sites are LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Plaxo and WordPress, and depending upon your business, article marketing might be very effective.
Mistake #5 Failing to ’add value’ for your market.
Value for your target market is the rule in Social Media – and ”surprising value” is the way to go. Social media is all about relationships and positioning yourself as an expert – so put more value in your posts, articles, audio (podcast) files, videos and recommendations and offer surprising value – enough value that your target market remembers you and wants to engage with you.
Mistake #6 Focusing on promotion over content.
This ties in with Mistake #5 – if you don’t push out good content, there is no perceived value. Promotion can come later and even disguised as content when you have a market who wants what you have got. ”Do” Social Media well and the money will come.
Mistake #7 Making contentious or argumentative statements.
Contentious statements may attract attention, but they may also lose your audience. Condescending or argumentative topics are unlikely to work in the long term. Just think of that argumentative person in the office…. don’t go there.
Mistake #8 Taking instead of giving.
Remember Social Media is about relationships first. Give value, give suggestions, give value, give advice, give ideas, give news give possibilities, give gratitude and do not take relentlessly. One of my biggest joint ventures came after some “giving”. GIVE = Give Influence Very Easily – give first and you will never be second.
Mistake #9 Not joining groups.
The premise of Web2.0 and Social Media is community – sharing and expertise. Be seen within groups that are of interest, add value to you and to which you can add value for others. Position yourself and share your expertise. No one ever made it to the top being a Lone Ranger and contribution and mixing is important if you want to make it in Social Media.
Mistake #10 Don’t shun face to face events.
Face to face networking is still a significant way to connect and the connection can continue online. Others are far more likely to recommend you, continue to network online and follow you in the Social Media spaces, once they have met you. You will learn from others, expand your own circle and be able to offer significant value to those with whom you come in contact. This is where we add some value for you.
Mistake #11 Having incomplete Social Media profiles.
You cannot maximise your work opportunities with an incomplete Resume. Neither can you maximise your connections, potential client interest or business opportunities with incomplete profiles. Ensure that your profiles are complete and get to the point and offer information your market wants. Enlist the help of experts to get you set up correctly in the first instance. Create the best impression you can. TODAY’S TASK Are you making any of these mistakes? Which one(s)? How will you change your strategy as a result of identifying these mistakes? Until tomorrow, Suzi
