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Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Creating A Social Media Marketing Campaign

For any marketer, it's a dream come true to find a platform that allows them to connect with millions of potential customers at the same time. Social media does exactly that and that is why it's in every company's marketing plans, be it big or small. Unfortunately, the results aren't what some firms expect. This is because these firms hope onto the social media bandwagon unprepared. Below are some of the top mistakes that such firms make, and how you can avoid them: 

1. Lack of a Strategy

Most firms fail because they assume being on social media just involves setting up a free account with detailed information about what the company does. After doing that, these firms forget about their account and post a few updates here and there, nothing constant.

Even though customers may need your product, they won't contact you just because you are on social media.

Before you create the account, know why you are doing so and how you are going to stir interest. For example, if you want to gain more followers, post daily updates of what your firm does. Make the content interesting.  

2. Target Audience

Another reason why social media marketing campaigns fail is that the company fails to acknowledge the target audience. Once you set up a company profile, it's obvious that people interested in your product can try to contact you. Ignoring or failing to acknowledge the users may work against you. This is because the site has an algorithm that allows users to see the pages they interact with the most, meaning that your posts may no longer be visible to the target audience. Therefore, pay attention to the target audience.  

3. Sending Links

Another mistake that firms make is sharing links on their social media page hoping that the visitor can click on it. There's nothing wrong with sharing a link every once in a while, but doing it all the time is just annoying and boring. The audience can lose interest in your brand if you keep doing that. Thus, don't use your social media page to spam people.  

4. Tone

The tone that you use to post to the audience matters a lot.

A social media marketing campaign can fail if you keep posting stuff that seems too sales-like.

Your audience can easily pick up on this and tell when you are not really interested in them. The photos you post also set the tone. Don't just post photos about the products that you sell, add something that could interest the audience and spark off a debate.  

5. Underestimating the Power of Social Media

Another mistake that some companies make is assuming that social media isn't for them. They may create a page, but that's as far as they can go. They won't put much time and effort into it because they believe it's for the younger generation. An interesting fact is that more and more people over 40 years of age are learning how to use social media. Therefore, don't underestimate the power of social media as you begin your campaign.  

 

6. Assuming All Platforms are the Same

The mistake that some firms make is assuming that all social media platforms are similar. These companies post the same message on all their accounts. The thing about social media users is that they are very protective of their space. Therefore, if they see a post that looks out of place, they ignore it without thinking twice. Do your best to find out more about the languages used on different platforms and use them.  

7. Failure to Network

Another thing that can lead to the demise of your social media strategy is having followers that are not interested in what you do. You may think that since you have over a hundred thousand followers, all of them are potential customers, but you're wrong. Some of them aren't interested, and your posts might not of any importance to them. To avoid this scenario, try to network with your followers. Get to know them more and see how you can assist one another.  

8. Having Too Much on their Plate

Some companies make the mistake of jumping onto every social media site that they know. They open multiple accounts and try to keep up with all of them. Unfortunately, some platforms may not be appropriate for the firm, and it may be wasting marketing funds.

The smart thing to do is open 2 or 3 accounts where you know you can access your customers.  

 

9. Failure to Perform Analysis

The problem with some firms is that they open a social media page and then fail to monitor how it's doing. They don't bother to use tracking analytics because they think that it's not important. If you are really serious about social media marketing, do your research and find out which areas need improvement.  

10. Personnel

A social media marketing campaign can fail if you don't have the right people. Some firms assume that they only need one person to handle the firm's accounts, but that's not it. You need a communicator to gauge and respond to your target audience, an analyst, an expert that knows your product well, and a coordinator to make sure the three work together. If you want your social media campaign to be successful, avoid the mistakes mentioned above. If you do things right, social media can increase your sales by a huge margin.

As the Okanagan's Marketing Department, we can assess your social strategy and implement strong content. Contact us today!