Gregory Blunt, Negosentro | Creating and executing a digital marketing campaign for your small business can be daunting. Not only do you have to discover what will hook your audience, you must expend limited resources on building a following that will get your company noticed in a space where new startups pop up every day to compete with you. Even large companies make social media blunders; however, as an entrepreneur, you cannot afford to make these errors. As you build your campaign, there are a few common mistakes you should be aware of, and how to avoid them.
1. Ramping Up Your Presence Too Quickly
One mistake that some new small business owners make is to create all their social media accounts at once and then connect them all because they might believe this will give them maximum exposure. While using more than one platform for your social media marketing can be effective, creating them all at once may confuse potential customers, especially if you did not take the time to brand your business.
Instead of rushing to make all your social media accounts, create one or two to start with. For example, create a Twitter and Facebook account, as these are two of the most widely-used sites. Take time to make your presence known, affirm your brand with one logo, and once those accounts are established, branch out to other sites, such as YouTube and Instagram. Create your own timetable and remember that you only get one chance to introduce your business.
2. Mixing Personal and Professional Posts
You may think that having a small business means you do not have separate it from your personal presence online. However, linking your business and personal accounts or mixing posts may alienate customers who feel uncomfortable when they have to look through your feed to find what they are looking for. Create separate accounts for your company and brand consistently to improve your social media ranking.
3. Failing to Plan a Strategy
Once you have created social media accounts for your small business, you will probably want to start posting right away. However, jumping in with both feet and without having a posting plan in place can spell disaster for your social media campaign. Before you begin, it is a good idea to map out a clear strategy.
If you already use more than one social media platform, you may want to use an online management tool that allows you to plan, edit, and schedule your posts to reach the widest audience possible. This type of planning can also ensure that you post regularly on each channel, which offers your customers a steady stream of content. Planning ahead and remaining consistent with your posts can help foster trust in your customers and draw in new ones.
4. Ignoring Grammar and Punctuation
One of the most common mistakes small business owners make is failing to proofread their social media posts and web content. This is a fine but important point, especially if you are paying for small business website design, as this investment may be wasted if you do not take the time to check over your content. Posts that are poorly organized and riddled with spelling and grammar errors are likely to cause readers to quit reading and look elsewhere for what they need.
If you feel that spelling and grammar are not your strong points, have another pair of eyes look your content over before you post it. Use the spellcheck and grammar functions as you create your content, and read your social media posts aloud before you submit them to catch small syntax errors.
Using social media can be a highly effective strategy for promoting your business. However, it is important to avoid common pitfalls that may derail your chances of success and result in wasted time and money.
