Social media dominates the time people spend online, and a vast majority of companies now have some type of social presence. Unfortunately, social success remains elusive for many; common social media
faux pas are largely to blame. Social media as a marketing channel is a force to be reckoned with, which you cannot afford to ignore. Being a contender for meaningful social media influence requires a solid strategy and sidestepping the common social media faux pas at a minimum. Top-notch social media marketing is not overly brand-focused; it captivates your social audience, engages your social prospects and offers significant value—through high-quality original content and curated content from trusted outside sources, which you share across your social media channels, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook and Pinterest. Avoid common social media faux pas to amplify your social media ROI through increased influence and lead generation and conversion. Learn how to stand out and triumph over your competition in the social media arena.
1. Not Having a Solid Social Media Strategy
Lacking a solid social media strategy, you will miss out on many advantages—like the optimization of your social lead generation. Just setting up social profiles or posting haphazard Facebook updates or tweets will not make social media channels a viable or profitable part of your overall marketing plan. A winning social strategy requires you to allocate the necessary time and resources to develop and implement one, which will deliver an integrated, high-value approach to social media. There are numerous factors you must take into account, including your brand identity and voice, social listening, the make-up of your intended social audience, quantifiable goals, a social content calendar, original highly shareable content, high-quality content curation, and clearly defined metrics to track and measure your progress. Without a solid social media strategy, you could create some of the best online content, have a stellar website, and yet still not attain a significant social reach or any meaningful engagement.
2. Failing to Develop a Unique Voice for Your Brand
Is your tone on social media generally formal, more casual or even humorous? Does your social media voice create a positive and professional representation of your brand? Do you captive your social audience? If your tone and voice are off-putting to your social prospects, it is high time to update and refine them. It is vital to have a social presence as unique as your brand, while remaining true to your brand identity. Achieving the right balance will take time and experimentation.
3. Being Overly “Salesy” Instead of Genuine and Human
Although it should be obvious, many brands seem to forget that social media is supposed to actually be social. If you have a significant Twitter following and only follow back a handful of your followers, you are sending the wrong message. Failing to follow back and practice genuine engagement signal to your audience that you are uninterested in your community and the dialogue that transpires. Be truly social; get engaged, and have some real interactions. Genuine engagement can help you magnify overall social following, foster goodwill and even expose you to a larger pool of social prospects.
4. Not Performing Cross-Channel Social Promotion
Your approach to social media needs to be integrated to achieve optimal results; neglecting cross-channel social promotion can be a costly mistake. The practice involves a planned marketing effort across your various social channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. To boost your ROI, you should be consistent in message, while fine-tuning the way your content appears on each social channel. Proper presentation of your social content requires different approaches for various social networks. For example, LinkedIn updates should not appear like tweets overloaded hashtags. While custom-tailoring updates for each of your social networks, leverage a common theme to unite your social content. This coordination will generate synergy so that your tweets, Facebook posts and LinkedIn updates have a greater combined impact than if they were created out of synch.
5. Failing to Leverage the Power of CTAs
Calls-to-action (CTAs) are vital to the success of your social media marketing. You need captivating CTAs, which are just as important for social media as they are for other marketing channels. Clearly explain the action you would like your social prospects to take after accepting one of your offers or engaging with your brand.
With a solid strategy and best practices, social media can be a powerful force in your marketing arsenal. However, real social media success is the result of your integrated social media presence working in conjunction with a complete inbound marketing plan, including highly shareable content, strong CTAs, winning email marketing, and stellar website design. Inbound marketing can help your company reach its marketing goals and be victorious in the age of social media.
