If you want your business to be booming then an effective social media marketing plan is an absolute must. There are tons of strategies that you can use to boost your customer base, engagement, and many other elements of your business.
Social media is something in today’s society that is impossible to ignore. Doesn’t everybody have social media nowadays? It seems like we’ve birthed new generations that are almost glued to their mobile devices.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, there are many different benefits to social media. It’s simply an observation of today’s current society.
And when it comes to business, you need to keep up with trends and go where the people are. So, if you are looking to reach a large and wide audience then you’re definitely going to want to share your business information online. And this is where social media marketing plans come in.
Though, today, we’re not going to talk about all the many ways that you can benefit from social media marketing. We’re going to talk about the common mistakes that can be made while making your plans. This way, you can ensure that you avoid making them and can make the most out of your marketing strategies.
And it essentially boils down to brands not ensuring their strategies are measurable. If you can’t analyze your data, there’s no true way to determine the effectiveness of your marketing plans. So, let’s take a look at some of the main mistakes that are often made.
The 5 Biggest Mistakes To Avoid
1. Not Implementing A Well Thought Out Strategy
Time and time again, you’ll see brands underestimating the importance of social media and it is so disheartening to see. Social media is vital for any business, and it’s important to understand this from the get-go.
You need to remember that you’ll have plenty of competitors or similar businesses that are utilizing the benefits of social media. So essentially, they are generating sales that could be yours.
If someone on social media searches for a local service and a competitor is providing online information about the said service, they’re going to give them their business over you. Especially if they don’t actually know that you exist.
And it’s important to understand that a social media strategy is so much more than just ensuring you post so many times a week, or at certain times of the day.
You need a well-thought-out plan that is going to include how things should be formatted, how events and groups should be formed, and the tone of voice and style that you want for your brand. This will ensure consistency and build trust between your brand and your customer base.
2. Not Tracking Results
If you do not have targets, goals, or aims that can be accurately measured or tracked, then chances are that your marketing plan has not been thought through well enough. It is vital to track your results to ensure that your campaign is actually working as you want it to.
And with social networks, it is pretty easy to track real-time progress. When you can track your results, it makes learning about what works well, and who you’re reaching a lot easier to identify which can help influence future campaigns.
3. Thinking All Social Media Is The Same
One of the biggest mistakes I see is brands, companies, or individuals assuming that all social media networks work the exact same. Because of this, they will publish the exact same content in the exact same format to each and every platform. This is a big no-no.
Much like people, no social media network works the exact same way. So while you will want to keep your overall content consistent and familiar, you don’t want to just copy and paste onto each different platform.
Take the time to research each platform, its users, and its audience to identify the kind of content and format that is the most popular.
4. Ignoring, Deleting, Or Counterattacking Criticism
No brand is 100% perfect or 100% for everybody. You can work your absolute hardest and do your absolute best, and you’ll still receive negative reviews or criticism. And while this can be annoying or irritating, such is life, I’m afraid.
But removing, ignoring, and attacking those who criticize your brand is a big red flag to customers. You don’t want to do this. At all. Ever.
In fact, what you want to do here, is show customers that you care. You want to reply to those negative comments trying to find the best way to solve the issue at hand.
This will keep those who haven’t had the most positive experience on your side, and it shows evidence to new customers that you take complaints seriously.
5. Not Engaging With Customers/Followers
Engagement is a pretty important KPI in terms of social media marketing, so I actually find it quite baffling that so many brands seem to never engage with their followers or customers.
Ignoring user comments is probably the best way to show that you don’t really care about your customers. And even if this isn’t your intention, it’s the impression that it gives off. And it’s going to cause massive issues for your campaign.
Replying to posts is absolutely vital to ensure engagement with your following on social media.
Final Thoughts
Social media marketing plans can work so well for businesses. They are a great way to get your brand out to the masses who otherwise might never have heard about it. It can bring in a massive return on your investment and just works great overall.
That is as long as the plan is executed well. After reading this article, you should have a much better understanding of the areas in which you can ruin your marketing plan or at the very least not get the absolute best out of it. And everyone wants their strategies to do as well as possible.
But fear not, for as long as you avoid these common mistakes, you should be on the perfect path to entrepreneurial success!