The inspiration for this post came from a blog post on Social Media Today that categorized 3 social media sins companies routinely make that waste time and money. The more I thought about it, the more I realized there are many more ways that companies waste money.
Here are 7 sins that are deadly, if only to your business’s bank account:
Sin #1: Not measuring results
Unless you take the time to look at the results of your social media marketing efforts, you won’t know what’s working and what’s not. If you continue to do something that is not engaging people and attracting new customers, well, you’re just throwing money right out the window.
Sin #2: Measuring the wrong metrics
Know what to measure. Likes and retweets are meaningless unless you are pulling people onto your website, capturing their contact information and converting them into customers.
Sin #3: Diving in blind
Not having a plan in place is bad enough, but not doing any research before starting is worse. You need to understand all of your target markets, where they are online, what their needs are, and how to properly use social media to reach them before you do anything on social media.
Sin #4: Zero integration
Cross-promoting content and messaging between online and offline is not hard to do, but a lot of companies don’t bother. Put that Yelp sticker to work by offering a discount on each reviewer’s next purchase. Got a PowerPoint presentation that has received great in-person feedback? Share it online.
Sin #5: No calls-to-action
If you want people to do something, just tell them, whether it’s downloading a free ebook, getting a sneak peek of an upcoming product or receiving a complimentary consultation.
Sin #6: Ignoring community management
The person who oversees your online community – your blog and social media networks – should be one person who is organized and social, not whoever has time at any given moment.
Sin #7: Focusing on one social media network
Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, especially when it comes to marketing. If you focus solely on one social network, like Facebook, over others that are open networks and make it easier to reach your audience, you’ll be missing out on valuable opportunities to expand your reach.
Image by Flickr user shawncampbell (Creative Commons)
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Tags: Marketing, sales process, small business, social media
Posted in Business Development, Marketing, Sales Process, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media | 4 Comments »
