While there are no wrong ways to eat a KitKat, there are definitely some wrong ways to do social media. That said, whenever there are wrongs, there are always many rights to counteract them. As a small business, here are some things you need to avoid and some things you need to do to help you get on the right track of using social media effectively to help you increase traffic, leads and sales.
10 Dos & Don’ts Of Social Media
- Don’t Be Selfish
This is a common mistake companies make too often. What does it mean to be selfish in the social media realm? Quite simply, a selfish social business only talks about themselves. If you look down your stream of social posts and you only see promotions about your business, sales from your business, and things that directly ask others to do something for you, you are being selfish. Selfishness in social media, just like in real life, does not bode well.
- Do Add Value
Social media is another form of communication, which means you must be interesting and add value to get through to your customers, fans, and potential business partners. Put thought behind what you can share with your fans that add value to their lives and will get them to fall in love with your channel. The ultimate goal is to make people crave the content you share. When you offer value, you’ll see people constantly checking in on your page to see what you have to say today.
- Don’t Take Short Cuts
Nothing in life comes for free, and this goes for social media as well. There is no magic pill to social media. To be successful you must look at as a long-term investment that will yield real results down the line. Buying followers is not going to get you anywhere, just like running an ad campaign blindly won’t. And while you may think you are tricking people into thinking you are well-liked and popular; a savvy social media user will see right through it. If you want real results, you need to understand it takes time.
- Do Focus Where It Counts
Yes, there are tons of social networks out there. But that in no way means you need to be present and active on all of them. Your most important and valuable networks are those that your audience is active on, for example TikTok vs Facebook. Think about your audience and where they hang out online, monitor where your social traffic comes from and spend your time and resources there. The main principles of marketing still applies. Who are you talking to and where will you effectively get their attention? Think about your social media as a billboard. You wouldn’t spend money on a billboard in the middle of Cape Town if your business is in Namibia, right? The same is true for social media.
- Do Be Authentic
Being authentic is the key to establishing an online business identity. When you start a business you probably know what this is already. Stay true to who you are and let that show online. This one is a bit harder to define but think about this. When someone comes to your online presence, they should know what they are going to get. It’s consistency and it’s authenticity.
- Don’t Be A Ghost
Social media automation is best way to get things done, there’s no denying that. There is nothing wrong with doing it, but you must do it right. One sure-fire way to lose at social media is to automate and run. Social media doesn’t sleep, and neither should you. Respond to comments, make sure to reply to direct messages as soon as possible.
- Do Test, Monitor and Report
Each business is different and thus every social media strategy is going to be different. You’ll never know what works if you don’t test different things out. Of course, to know what works you need to monitor different trends, keywords hashtags, and other pertinent information. Plus, to really show your results you need to report these things.
- Don’t Expect The World If You Don’t Give The World
Social media is a two-way street. You must give to get. Give your audience value and other things they want. Then when it’s time to ask for favours you won’t be perceived as selfish. See #1.
- Do Know Your Audience
Your social media strategy is only good if your audience responds and relates to the content you share. If you want to connect with them you are going to have to know who they are like the back of your hand. The better you know your audience, the more targeted your marketing can be.
Social media management is a full-time job. As a business owner, chances are that you don’t have the time to sit and plan, monitor and react to your social media strategies. That’s where we step in. Our team of skilled social media experts can take your online presence from zero to hero, while you focus on the more important task of running your business. View our packages or contact us today to find out how we can assist.