3 Mistakes New Businesses Make with Social Media

[This article was written by Brooke Chaplan.]

As a business owner, you’ve heard time and time again how important social media is. You know that your business should be utilizing it as a form of marketing and perhaps you’ve even tried to do some posting. To ensure that social media helps your business, here are three common mistakes you should be working hard to avoid.

Not Integrating It as a Long-Term Strategy

One of the biggest mistakes that businesses make when it comes to social media is not committing to it for the long-term. You may make a few posts here and there. Then, you’re gone for months at a time. This is typically because most business owners don’t see the importance of social media. You must look at social media as a viable form of marketing. It’s just like commercial advertising, free giveaways, and paper advertising. You need to commit to utilizing social media as a part of your regular marketing strategy.

Consistently Posting Irrelevant Content

With the availability of social media in this day and age, it can be super simple just to post about any old thing. However, you must think about your post from the perspective of your viewers. You don’t want to waste their time sharing a funny video or an inspiring quote all the time. Good social media marketing skills include understanding how to engage your audience. While sometimes adding in those little additions can help to show users your personable side, they shouldn’t be all you post. Consider posting how-to information that your viewers can actually apply to their everyday life. Evergreen, or perpetually relevant content, is always important to have on your social media page. This includes informative and engaging posts that your audience will be willing to share and return to.

Not Responding to Every Comment

Social media has opened up a new stream of communication between users and businesses. No longer is there a need to visit in person or pick up the phone to get a question answered. In a matter of seconds, a client or potential client can post anything about your business on your social media pages. Be sure to have a staff member or team who regularly respond to questions and comments. This will show users that you’re actively engaged and want to provide them with helpful products and/or services. Being picky with what comments you respond to can come across as not treating everyone the same.

Social media is here to stay. Having it as part of your regular marketing strategy is a must moving into the future. You should do your best to avoid making the three big mistakes above as they will increase the risk of losing the attention of targeted consumers.

Author Bio:

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan