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 These days most people understand how important a strong social media presence is for businesses of all sizes. However, understanding that you need social media is completely different than understanding how to do social media well. If your business is making any of these common social media mistakes, you need to rethink your strategy:
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There’s an art to garnering a social media following. You need a delicate balance of being interesting enough to stand out from the crowd without being so far out there that you alienate potential followers. You need to engage existing followers to keep them around without making them feel like they’re being badgered. Basically you want to be that cool best friend and not that overbearing mom – not an easy feat. So how do you walk this tight rope without losing would-be and current followers? Basically, you avoid all of these common pitfalls:
Running an online marketing company I often hear business owners or marketing managers tell me “Oh yeah, social media definitely isn’t for us!” And while it’s sometimes difficult (or downright impossible) to dissuade them from this belief, it’s never true. Any business, no matter the size or industry or audience, can benefit from social media in some capacity!
Social channels are used most commonly for customer service, education, brand awareness, and selling, which really covers a wide range of marketing goals. In that list is at least one focus area that every business needs in order to succeed. Don’t believe me? Consider this – there are local and national brands with thriving social media communities around offerings like toilet paper, tampons, deodorant, household cleaners, condiments, porta potty rentals, allergy medications, athlete’s foot remedies, dog food, kitty litter, bug removal, and probably a million other odd products/services that don’t strike you immediately as being particularly social in nature. So how can your business build a social community around products/services that aren’t typically social? These three tips will help you create a winning strategy: I feel like every day I see at least one article or post offering advice on when you should tweet this or email that and they all seem to be contradictory. Some say it’s better to post earlier in the day on a particular platform, while others will advocate later in the day for that same platform. Some say you should post just before the hour, others will say just after or mid-hour is better. Some studies swear by late-night and weekend posting to get people during their down-time while others say you should stick to business hours. If you tried to follow all of this advice you’d probably end up spending innumerable hours posting all day every day and annoying the crap out of your audience!
So what’s the right advice when it comes to social media management? Well, all of it! The reality is that for each business, the “right” time to send emails, publish content, and push social media posts is completely unique. This is why it’s so important to test everything that you do to see what your audience responds best to over time. Here are some really important things to keep in mind when planning when to send various marketing messages:  You may know people who still think Twitter is hocus pocus, but the truth is that Twitter continues to gain popularity in ways that may surprise you.
These 14 stats point to how Twitter is being used, who is using it and where the future of Twitter is headed: Social media is always changing – making it difficult to know where you should invest your time in order to get a solid return. Which platform is best for your business? What should you post about? What should your brand voice be? What’s the hottest new thing that’s going viral that you can tap into? These are all questions that business owners and marketers face while forming and evaluating a social media strategy. But riding the social media wave can be really overwhelming if you are always trying to go after the latest fads. Luckily there are some social media trends that will stand the test of time that you can use to anchor your efforts:
 Sure, you have a Twitter business account, but how much do you really know about Twitter? Here are 10 things that may surprise you about Twitter (which have been taken from a really impressive list of “100 Facts and Figures About Twitter, and Why they Matter for Your Business”):
• 28% of users look for discounts and sales on Twitter • 37% of users will make a purchase from a brand they follow on Twitter • 42% of Twitter users learn about products/services on Twitter • 49% of users follow brands or companies on Twitter • 53% of users don’t post updates, but they still check Twitter regularly to read tweets • 63% of Twitter users follow small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) to show their support • 70% of small businesses are on Twitter • 85% of Twitter users feel more connected to small businesses they follow • Twitter users are 300% more likely to follow brands than Facebook users • Tweet exposure on Twitter has a proven positive influence on brand consideration What you can take away from this is that your business should definitely be active on Twitter. Just having an account isn’t enough – you need to be consistent with updates and provide followers with what they want. Twitter users are looking for discounts and information about products/services, and if they're not interacting with businesses, they're still listening to what businesses have to say. It’s important to connect with consumers to have a positive brand impact and help encourage them to purchase later on. Twitter for business is important to the growth of your company, so don’t take it lightly. Let LionShark help you with your social media strategy! And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Consulting for small businesses, Copywriting and Local Online Marketing. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and enjoys cooking, watching sports and spending time outdoors. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about marketing theory and SEM trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned! If you don’t have a Twitter account or do have an account but don’t ever use it, you may not understand the appeal of Twitter. People like Twitter because it plays on two human truths – people love talking about themselves (what they’re reading, where they are, there they’re going, what they just ate, how they’re feeling, which businesses they like, which businesses they don’t like, what they have now what they want to get in the future, and so on) and people are busy. Twitter allows people to share with the world and interact with others through quick little messages. But, if you’re not convinced, here are some great uses for Twitter:
1. Following Industry Leaders Twitter is a professional social network with a highly engaged user base. The same cannot be said of Facebook or LinkedIn because while Facebook has a highly engaged user base, it’s not a professional network, and LinkedIn is a professional network, but it doesn’t have a user base that’s nearly as engaged. This makes Twitter a great place to follow industry leaders, because almost all of them are on Twitter and they put a lot of time and effort into maintaining their Twitter accounts. 2. Sharing Your Business’s Content Your business has things to share with your market area – promotions and sales, blog posts, announcements, job openings, press releases, etc. Use Twitter for business to share these items because research has shown that Twitter users are more likely to follow brands, do research before making a purchase, look for discounts, and listen to what brands are saying. Unlike social platforms like Facebook that were built on social interactions with friends and then let brands join the conversation later, Twitter has always had brand interactions as a cornerstone of their business. 3. Staying Up To Date with Local Events Following local radio stations or news channels on Twitter is a good way to make sure you know what’s going on in your community. These sources usually post local happenings so that you can find fun things to do with your friends and family. Make sure that you don’t miss out on anything awesome happening in your town or city by just checking Twitter once a day. 4. Brightening Your Day Checking Twitter is a great way to take a little break during the day and catch up on what’s going on, but it’s also an opportunity to get a few smiles or chuckles. Following your favorite comedians on Twitter can provide an instant pick me up. Quick one liners are fun to read during lunch or an afternoon break. Looking for a digital marketing company to take over your social media management? Get in touch with us and find out what LionShark can do for your business! Find LionShark on Twitter Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Consulting for small businesses, Copywriting and Local Online Marketing. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and enjoys cooking, watching sports and spending time outdoors. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about marketing theory and SEM trends… so beware! |
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