You might be a small business owner looking towards social media marketing to increase your bottom line. You might be a social media manager working for a business to help them grow their brand, create leads and generate sales. Whatever angle you’re coming at it from, there are certain things that you are most likely doing wrong if you notice that you’re not getting the results you want. In most cases, what results you are actually expecting in what time frame is the root of the problem.
Here are a few common traps social media managers often fall into:
You think social media is something that is to be ‘done’ and completed.
Social media isn’t a task to be completed. It’s an ongoing process, a strategy that is to be maintained for as long as you want to stay in business. It’s just like SEO services. You can’t stay on top of Google search results by ‘doing SEO’ and then sitting back. In the same way, you can’t set up a social media profile, collect some followers, and then let it go. Social media is a tool that is to be used in your ongoing marketing campaigns, a tool whose main purpose is to build communities of people interested in your brand.
You expect quick results from social media.
If you approach social media as a shortcut solution in your marketing budget, you’ve already lost. Yes, Facebook and Twitter boast hundreds of millions of users, but you have to get their attention, build their trust, and integrate yourself in their daily lives. That is by no means a quick-fix marketing solution. It is, however, a strong foundation to build your business on. The long-term process of social media community building can bring real lasting prosperity to your door.
You don’t listen to your audience.
They don’t call it social media for nothing. Socializing isn’t a one-way street for you to broadcast your products and services. It’s not a billboard on the internet or your own TV channel. It’s a place where people come together online to talk, share and discover. That’s actually why it’s so powerful for a small business owner. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising, and traditional methods like banners and flyers are fast becoming obsolete. While your overall endeavour is all about the bottom line, getting sales now needs to be based on having a conversation.
You have unrealistic expectations.
Social media is not a magic bullet or quick-fix solution. That being said, it’s also becoming increasingly crucial in a small business’ marketing strategy. Many business owners are in the dark about how social media is to be harnessed and what it can do for them. They simply know it’s something that they need to ‘do.’ That’s where teams like the Blue Hat community managers come in. We live and breathe social networks and online communities. We’re here to ensure that you get the most out of your investment through smart and efficient social media strategies.
