7 Costly Social Media Mistakes

Social media gives unprecedented access to people interested in your niche or industry, or the products and services you offer. However, some new users of the networks can get so excited by the prospect of more profits that they actually end up costing themselves through simple yet avoidable mistakes. Here are the top 7 to watch out for if you are a newbie social media marketer.

1. Unclear goals Do you want sales, subscribers, followers? Plan every campaign around a specific goal, which you can measure by getting the target market to take a particular action. By limiting the number of actions available in the message or campaign, you help to reduce returns, unsubscribes, and unfollows. So, for instance, if you’re a realtor, your main goal may be to get more followers so that when they NEED a realtor your name is top of mind. A dentist may want to use Facebook as strictly a PR thing for keeping in communication outside the office so maybe they are really looking for their current clients to follow them. Get the idea? If not, send me an email rebecca@bluedotdigitalmarketing.com. 2. Unprofessional profiles Make your profile as informative and professional as possible. Include basic information that potential customers or clients want to know, along with info that makes you stand out from your competition. A logo and colors help you to be recognized at a glance, so be sure to add a unique and professional logo to your profile and/or header. 3. Following too few people As soon as you sign on for most social sites, they ask you what you are interested in and give recommendations as to who you might like to follow. Take these suggestions seriously and sign up, because the ones they are suggesting are usually the top participants at the site in relation to your niche. Also, as a page, you can follow people and then it’s nice and easy for you to share things that you like. 4. Promoting too soon Most newbies to social networking are there because they’ve heard it is a great way to reach millions of people. They no sooner sign up with their profile than they start to crank out posts, tweets, and promotions at lightning speed. Social networks are just that, social. It's not about you hammering out promotion after promotion. Focus on building relationships and connections that are based on your common personal and/or business interests. Think about sticking to something like only 30% promotional posts vs. the rest being informational, personal or just plain fun. 5. Publishing the wrong content Every social network attracts people who prefer a specific type of content or type of delivery. For example, most Twitter users want very short and to-the-point messages. Most content online is text-based, but many social networks are driven by eye-catching content, such as images and video. Organize your material into folders for each network so you deliver the right type of content to each social media network, based on its specialties and the preferences of their users. 6. Ignoring daily search results Conduct a quick search each day for a couple of your business's keywords and/or brand products. Look for mentions of your business, product, and/or your name. Also, look for questions and positive or negative comments on other sites. If you see questions, answer them and/or refer the person to a specific URL for more information. If you see positive comments and reviews, thank them. If you see negative, refer them to your customer service email for more details on what their issue is. The offer of help will show goodwill to anyone who might have seen it and sort the real customers from those who might be doing nothing more than trying to damage your reputation online. 7. Retaliating No matter how unfair they have been. Just don’t retaliate in public. It could cost you more than you can ever imagine. Keep it professional at all times. This one is tough. I know. Just be sure to follow up with them privately on an instant message, phone call, or whatever it may be. Keeping it professional at all times is imperative to your social media success. Keep an eye out for more blogs and tips and feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Rebecca Paciorek is an Online Business Manager specializing in assisting in the growth of your business through traditional and digital means.

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