Beware the Top Social Media Mistakes

Are you doing these social media marketing mistakes?

1. Expecting immediate results: Patience is a must. It takes work to build a valuable online presence.
2. Lack of tracking systems: Tracking systems take assists from social to other channels into account. (Currently, HubSpot does this better than Google Analytics.)
3. Using the wrong network: Research which one will work for your niche.
4. Direct promotion of products: Avoid pushing your products before building up a trusted network.
5. Offering no value: In order to get a lot, you need to give at the very least a little.
6. No focus on relationships: The social web is just that, social. Invest in others and value will come your way.
7. Spamming: There is a fine line between spamming and tactful self-promotion. Err on the safe side until this line becomes clearer.
8. Wrong mindset: Social media is different from any other marketing tool. Take time to learn these differences before diving in too far.
9. Poor or inconsistent branding: It is a subtle touch, but carrying a consistent brand over multiple online channels allows your efforts to accumulate.
10. Too professional: The social web is, by its very nature, very laid-back. Entertainment and engagement hold high value in addition to business content.
11. Not professional enough: Yes, it is a double-edged sword. Lean toward casual, but stay clear of crass.
12. Trying to do too much at once: Get good at one social networking site at a time and you will have better results. Trying to do 15 social sites at once will likely just result in a mess and lead to frustration.
13. Not registering your names: Protect your brand or username from social media identity theft and use Knowem.com to see if your name is still available at over 350 popular social networking websites.

Social media works like dating. You don’t just pull out an engagement ring and propose when you first meet someone. You need to take them on a journey through the top, middle, and eventually to the bottom of the marketing funnel with ebooks and blog posts, then comparison charts and case studies. Only then should you try to get them to buy now, sign up, or fill out a lead form.

2 Things to do Right Away

1) Tracking Social Media ROI

Tracking social media is a big topic, so I’ll cover that in detail in future blogs. If you do nothing else for tracking, at least track referrers in Google Analytics and check out HubSpot as a deeper level of tracking across time and channels.

2) Creating and Socially Sharing Content Must Be in Your Marketing Mix

This is the new way of thinking. You create great and powerful content and then tell your circles about it, tell your friends about it, comment on other blogs about it…and it becomes something. It helps you rank in Google and it strengthens your brand by making you a trusted thought leader and even a friend. This  is really just an introduction to the many social media tactics and how to share your content and engage customers. My hope is that it will give you a better sense of the landscape so you can start your journey with a clearer vision and sense of direction.

Photo credit: webtreats / Foter.com / CC BY