If you have caught onto the fact that social media is an excellent way to promote your business but don’t seem to be hitting the highs just yet, perhaps it is time to readdress your marketing strategy. As with all advertising tools, there is a right way and many wrong ways to approach them. You can do far more harm than good if you steam in head first and pay little heed to good advice. Take a look at this article to see if your methods have mirrored any of these common errors.
The Hard Sell
We all know that your social media business page is there for a reason, but try not to overdo it. Your visitors are there because they enjoy the interaction and they just might put some business your way, but only when they are good and ready. If you find that most of your posts are about how great you and your firm are, don’t be surprised if they are rarely answered, if ever. You have to find some middle ground with your Facebook friends and try to make about 75% of your page about fun and interesting topics. The other 25% is plenty for your promotional needs and this will ensure that you still have some people to connect with.
Real Friends?
In real life you are pretty selective about who you choose as friends, you can afford to be a little less fussy on social media but try to avoid falling into the trap of buying friends. There are a number of websites that actually sell fake friends to individuals who have an inferiority complex about their buddy list. These people will bring zero value to your Facebook Fan Page and are probably not even real characters. Give this sad activity a wide berth!
Respond In a Timely Fashion
The name of the game is creating new and interesting connections, hopefully some of these will lead into a business relationship, but only if you treat everyone fairly. If you have answers about your page or your business, show some respect and answer them swiftly. If you ignore your friends they won’t hang around very long and just might turn into your rival’s new customers. Be approachable and always make your buddies feel at home on your Fan Page.
Mix It Up
Don’t spend all of your computer time hovering around your Facebook Fan Page, especially if it is empty for the time being. Socialise and make your presence known on other sites. Send out a few tweets and make new friends. If you spend some time on other profiles, they are more likely to return the favour someday. Try to allot at least ten minutes a day looking at other profiles and similar business pages. You can only improve your standings if you have a good idea of what everyone else is currently talking about. Nobody enjoys spending their time with a wallflower, so make sure you are here there and everywhere, as the Beatles once sang!
Any More?
If you avoid these 4 bloopers, you will increase the chances of making your promotional efforts worthwhile, there are plenty of other ways to alienate your potential customers but most of them are just common sense!
About the Author: Mark Thomas is an employee at CommercialSpaceToronto.com, which is an online portal designed to connect users who are looking for space and commercial real estate services. He enjoys testing his potential and he is very passionate about adventure sports.
