4 Critical Mistakes Your Business Is Making On Social Media
Getting to the social media success cycle means understanding the 4 Critical Mistakes Your Business Is Making On Social Media. With more and more people on social media every day, more and more businesses are also on there. We are all well aware of the four main platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Facebook has over 2.7 billion active users each month. Instagram has over 1 billion, Twitter 386 million, and LinkedIn has 250 million.
Facebook Facts
Cute story. My non-English speaking 92-year-old grandma calls it "basebook." Anyway, down to the nitty-gritty. Over 60% of internet users are on Facebook, spending nearly an hour of their day on it. Of those users, 25% are aged 25-34. My grandma, it must be said, is not on there. Sorry, guys. Facebook, however, is a great way users discover new products - about 78% to be precise. In the fourth quarter of 2020, Facebook's total advertising revenue amounted to 27.19 billion U.S. dollars. That's up from 17.44 billion in the first quarter of 2020. In a worldwide pandemic. That's saying something. That's saying:
YOUR BUSINESS SHOULD BE ON FACEBOOK!
I won't go into much detail about Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn except to say - if your market is on any of these platforms, you should be too. Instagram, it must be noted, is even higher than Facebook for allowing users to discover new products through influencer marketing. Twitter is great for connecting with users in real-time interactions. LinkedIn is prime for B2B engagement. According to SproutSocial, four out of five LinkedIn members drive business direction.
Other Players
"If it doesn't target your market, don't spend too much time or money on that platform."
The chart above shows the number of active users per social network. As you can see, Instagram is at the bottom of the Top 5, and Twitter is at the very bottom of the list above Quora. TikTok, a platform that took the world by storm during the quarantine, is on track to take over Instagram in the number of active users, and WhatsApp is hot on its tails. What's most important to take away from all of this is that if it doesn't target your market, don't spend too much time or money on that platform.
4 Critical Mistakes
1. Treating Social Media As A One-Way Street
Don't just throw out content to create content. Create content that creates opportunities for dialogue and engages your customers.
2. Sell, Sell, Selling Right Away
Imagine being hugged from behind by someone you don't know. You didn't like the feeling of someone you don't know hugging you, right? Being sold to right away can cause the same reaction. Build up a rapport with your audience, then allow multiple touchpoints for communication.
3. Failing To Tie Your Social Media Marketing To Your Overall Marketing Goals
Make sure your social media reflects your content and promotions. What's worse than seeing a great ad on Instagram, clicking the link from a promo, then not finding it anywhere else on the site or in the store? Nothing.
4. Treating Social Media Marketing As A Single Discipline.
It's actually made up of 4 equally important parts: Monitoring & Listening, Influencing, Networking, and Selling.
So, we've got a little bit of work to do, don't we? First, figure out which of the platforms your customers are on and be there. Second, create a whole marketing strategy that is as effective online as it is offline. Easy, right? If you need any clarification, reach out to us here.