3 Social Media Do-Nots

Social media is working really well for a lot of small businesses. If you’re not involved in social sharing yet, here are some things to think about before you start:

Don’t spread yourself too thin

Before you join every social media outlet available, you have to consider your target audience. Is your audience more likely to use one form of social media than another?

There’s only one (good) reason to use a specific social platform for business: your audience is there.

Instead of spreading your efforts across 10 different social media sites, chose a small number you can really monitor well. This is a better strategy than just throwing a bunch of profiles on the internet, trying to market and sell to everyone, and not getting any results.

Don’t create profiles and then forget about them.

The essence of social media is in relationship building. And relationship building takes time. Results don’t come by just setting up a profile.

A social media strategy also depends on regularly adding content to your pages. What will your content be? Where will it come from (who will create it)? If you know you don’t have the time or ability to keep up with your social media sites, you should hire someone who can or rethink your strategy. Poorly done social media can have a negative effect and detract from your image and message.

For example, if your site’s Twitter button leads to a Twitter page that shows two followers and no posts for the last six months, what kind of impression does this give? It is much better to skip social media altogether than to imply that there is “no one home” at your company, or that you do things in a sloppy way.

Remember, social media is a marathon, not a sprint. You probably should dedicate at least a year of regular and interesting posting before deciding if your efforts are working.

Don’t forget that social media is a conversation.

One big mistake small business leaders make in social media is to spend a lot of time trying to promote themselves. The information flows mostly one way – out to prospective customers.

A better strategy is to talk less and listen more. If social media is all about relationships and making connections then, just like in the real world, people will be more drawn to you if you actually listen to what they’re saying rather than just repeating a message.

Create content that encourages comments or feedback. And then be sure to offer your response. Make sure your content offers real value; followers want to hear things that are genuinely useful in their lives. Aim to be the place people can go to get answers to their questions. Find ways to solve their problems; be the expert and gain their trust. Remember: give to get.