Social networks can be powerful tools to boost the presence of a website, a brand or business. However, it is also a fact that mismanagement of social media or the so-called Social Media Marketing strategy can equally become a double-edged sword that in the end ends up being counterproductive for the company. We are in an era in which the Internet is full of false Community Managers, people who proclaim themselves to be experts in social networks, but do not fully understand social media. Their knowledge is limited to little more than Facebook and Twitter, leading to consequences that may include unsatisfied customers, professional intrusiveness and a host of social media mistakes that can jeopardize their client’s online reputation.
Out of that list, the latter poses the greatest danger. The lack of experience and knowledge leads to multiple errors when managing their social networks. Errors in communication, but also in the way of working each of the social platforms and the people that compose them. Today, we will cover 5 serious mistakes to avoid in social media integration that can cost you real visitors.
The first thing to understand as a good community manager is that social networks are people talking to people, so the knowledge of the target audience, their behavior and the delimitation of the social networks in which they are and how to reach it becomes fundamental. From here, combine knowledge, experience and sociability.
Main social media mistakes to avoid
Do not integrate social networks in online marketing
Social networks are one more channel within the digital marketing strategy of companies, which must be combined appropriately with the web, positioning, content marketing, video marketing and online advertising campaigns, among others.
Even if the strategy of the company is simple, to enable a basic blog and to make a sound diffusion in the social media arena will encourage that the value increases and thus its followers, visits to the web and consequently sales.
Not having a strategy for social networks & outdated profile
It is always imperative to know what is going to be done and analyze the most interesting topics for users, as well as the social networks in which to work. Generating a level of engagement with the users will insure that the relevance, influence and online reputation of the brand increase and generate leads that contribute to a rise in sales.
All the corporate profiles of the brands on social networks must be updated and fulfilled to the maximum level. They must generate reliability and security to the people who see them and redirect without errors to the company’s website. The opposite implies disdain and loss of relevance and trust in brands.
Companies fail to listen and analyze before they act
Before publishing anything, you always have to do an active listening of social networks and explain the issues that work best. Some things to analyze are: which people and accounts are more influential, what and how is your competition is doing, as well as, campaigns and third-party actions.
This is the only way you will know how to develop the strategy defined and how to make your own website visible to audience. Additionally, at the end of each action you must measure and analyze to know if you are doing it right or not.
Speaking only of the brand or how good it is, can make the users perceive this as SPAM. You need let the community see that you are experts in what you do, giving a global vision and offering your content. Also, add insight to the market, sector, evolution and trends, as well as relevant news and developments of everything related to our business.
Not taking into account the objectives of social media
In social networks, you will find two types of targets. On one hand, the specific objective, or the need is to get as many followers, RT, mentions, +1, likes or shares as possible. However, we must also take into account the business objectives, that is, how much the company is contributing to the visits to the site and the business. The acquisition levels of engagement or valid leads are data used to analyze and to take into account to know if you are doing well.
Failure to interact with the community eliminates negative comments
Interaction is the cornerstone of social networks, as you are dealing with people. In this sense, you have to be grateful to them when they give you a like or a mention, which will give way to conversations, from which you can gather feedback of the activity and the brand in social networks
Some non-professional Community Managers will delete negative comments so they cannot be seen, but this is a big no-no. It is crucial to know why negative comments or complaints have been made and how to handle them properly, as well as to have a Crisis Situation Protocol prepared.
Conclusion
In the end, it is essential to analyze and to focus on one social network at a time. For local businesses, it is much better to post content on social networks like Facebook or Twitter. It is important to identify those social networks where you can be sure that you will get the highest quality commitment and where you can spend a little more time.
Once the management of social networks has been mastered, then you can begin to start branching out to other platforms, making your presence more known.
As much as some companies refuse to see it, social networks are a fundamental channel of communication. They are capable of generating two-way conversation from the company to the outside and from the outside, through feedback, towards the enterprise.
Just keep in mind, you do not have to feel obligated to use all social networks that are out there. In fact, the result is sometimes negative. This can create confusion among the followers, causing the social networking strategy to fail.