Not All Social Media Advice is Good
Social media marketing advice is a lot like dating advice. Some is good, some is bad and some just doesn’t make any sense at all. Let’s go over some well-intentioned but inaccurate information that’s been floating around the web.
“You need to delete negative comments.”
This is a terrible piece of advice. If you delete negative comments, your followers will think you have something to hide. Instead of deleting negative comments, respond to them. Own up to your mistakes, clear up any misconceptions and move forward. This will make people respect you much more than they would if you just tried to brush all negative comments under the rug.
However, if someone uses negative comments just to ruffle your feathers or start a fight, don’t engage him. Your followers will be able to tell if someone is spouting off for no reason, and they won’t fault you when you take the mature route and ignore the person.
“Social media replaces SEO.”
Social media and SEO are both important Internet marketing strategies, and they work well together. When you include SEO in your social media campaign, you will boost your online presence. On the flip side, when you include links to social media accounts in your SEO campaign, you will boost your social media presence. Both play a vital role in your Internet marketing strategy, and one can’t replace the other.
“You have to stay on schedule.”
Some people believe that marketers need to follow a very specific schedule. For instance, they may say that you need to post to Facebook at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
While schedules are great for a lot of things in business, they can actually cause your social marketing campaign to become too rigid, which means you will miss the point of the platform. Social media is meant for interaction. If you are just following a very specific publishing strategy, you likely aren’t taking the time to interact with your audience.
Instead of setting your watch to your posts, take cues from your audience. Are they in a chatty mood? Then engage with them in the comment section. Do they seem to be getting bored with your posts? Then you need to pull back. They are the ones who are driving the bus. You are just riding on it, and you could get thrown off if you don’t listen to what they have to say.
“Keep the conversation about you and your brand all of the time.”
Followers and fans don’t want to see a new sales pitch every time they log into Twitter. That doesn’t mean you can’t try to sell you products or services, but you also need to provide something of value for your followers. That means you need to give them some free information, such as links to quality blog posts or tips that go with your industry. This free information will build trust and increase engagement. That can translate into sales.
It’s important that you avoid these social media mistakes so you can have a solid campaign. Then, you will get to enjoy all of the benefits that come with social media marketing.
By Drew Himel