So you have a Facebook account, perhaps even a Twitter account or Pintrest. You no doubt have a handle on how the platforms work, but does that mean you’re capable of using them for business? Like anything in business, social media requires experience just as much as expertise. Buckle up “gurus,” while I tell you six reasons why you’re probably not a social media expert.
You Refer to Yourself as a Guru
Yep, reason number one is using terrible and cheesy titles, real professionals use (and earn) professional titles. Referring to yourself as “guru” not only makes you look like a knob, but is a huge red flag that you likely have no idea what you’re doing. Marketing is a respected industry full of people who want to create and work with others who portray a professional appearance.
You Don’t Measure
You’d think measuring performance would be a no brainer. As it turns out you need a brain to measure and keep track metrics relating to the performance of all your social media campaigns. Using Facebooks “Insights” anayltics tool or even Google Analytics to measure performance, ROI or even provide projections is extremely important in staying connected with your fans and keeping track of what they engage with most. Simply posting cat pictures and memes won’t cut it.
You’re not Working With other Departments
For larger businesses this is huge. Departments need to coordinate with their social media team to be most effective (or vice versa). Communicating with the sales or advertising departments for instance, can create leads that convert to sales just by simply building campaigns together as a team. It’s so simple, work together, profit together.
You Don’t Acknowledge Competitors or Influencers
Social Media is an incredibly powerful tool but guess what, you’re not the only one using it and you’re probably not the best either. Keeping an eye on your competitors and taking cues from major influencers in your industry ensures you’re always one step ahead. This industry is ever-changing and professionals need to be dedicated to a life-time research and education to be successful.
You Wing It
Social Media marketers need a strategy, simply creating a Facebook page and blindly posting is just a waste of time. You need to learn, research and evolve with your audience. Find out what they like, what they want, what they respond to. From there you can implement a goal orientated strategy that drives measurable ROI.
You Don’t Build Relationships
This sort of goes hand in hand with winging it. The whole point of social media is to build relationships with your customer base on a more personal or “social” level (get it?). No one likes a friend that talks to much, or posts pictures of what they’re eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day (we all have them), don’t be that friend. Don’t spam your fans with ads and useless content, they already know you and probably have a good idea of what you’re selling. What you need to do is find out why your fans like your business and build your community around it.
