Avoid These Seven Deadly Social Media Sins

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It's a given that social media is an effective way of getting your 'face' out in the marketplace. The web is an unlimited pool of individuals and companies who need your services, they just don't know it yet. So, get out there and let the world know you are here to solve all their problems. But, before you jump head first into that pool, be careful that you don't commit these 7 Deadly Social Media Sins:

Inbound Marketing | Hyperweb Communications

1. You're Inconsistent:

New to social media, you furiously post every piece of content you have in the first two days, then you get busy with billable work and fall off the face of the earth. So you not only wasted that great content by randomly throwing it at the world, but you blew a perfectly good opportunity to start building an audience of the relevant folks who are interested in what you had to say. When you go away, so does your following.

Here's a better way: Have a plan. Take the time to figure out what channels are best for your business, what type of content your target clients post, and how much time you realistically have to spend on Social Media. (Pro Tip - If your clients are spending their time and money on something, you might want to join them.)

2. You Take Yourself Too Seriously

You take the time to create original content that's bound to pique the interest of your targets. It's informational and timely. The piece screams of expertise, and displays the entire depth of your knowledge. Your impressive technical vocabulary is in full voice. But you get no feedback.

Here's why: If your piece has an actual thud factor, it's a white paper, not a blog post. People want quick bites of easily digestible information that they can think about at their leisure. Share your technical understanding of an issue in a way that is friendly and accessible.

3. You Don't Take Yourself Seriously Enough

In an effort to be conversational, accessible, and fun you've filled your posts with slang. You use pop culture references to make your points. You even refer to your potential follower as "dawg".

This may sound extreme, but it illustrates a very common error. There is a happy medium between stuffy and silly. Make sure your content provides value to the reader, and showcases your professional expertise in an engaging manner. Leave the cute stuff for high school kids.

4. You Make Every Post A Commercial

You are so proud of your work. LinkedIn and Google+ blow up three times a week with the latest project or splashy marketing piece. You garner lots of 'likes' and congratulations, but very few followers.

The problem here is that your content is all about you. That's a very poor marketing strategy. An occasional post about a new hire, big win, or industry award is perfectly acceptable but too much of a good thing is still too much.

Try following the 80/20 rule: 80% of your social media content should be about others: useful tips, industry info, and articles that are of interest to your professional community at large. Use the remaining 20% to beat your own drum.

5. You Stand Alone

Your posts are well written and provide useful content in an easy-to-read, engaging manner. They are well received and your audience is growing. So you keep on posting. More content, more followers, more favorable comments. That's the extent of your activity.

The best thing about social media is the ability to interact with your readers. If you simply provide quality content you are missing out on an amazing opportunity to grow your influence and benefit your firm.

Reply to comments. Comment on, and share, your clients' posts. Become an active participant in your social media community. Then sit back and watch your following bloom.

6. You Don't Convert

You've created a solid on-line presence. Lot's of engagement, lots of followers. You actively participate in LinkedIn groups. Heck, you've even been invited to guest-blog for an industry association! So what's the problem?

The problem is, if you aren't converting that good-will into sales, you've missed the whole point of a corporate social media presence. Your call to action must include a way for potential clients to connect with sales staff. The business development team should be reaching out and turning visitors into followers, and followers into customers.

7. You Stay The Same

Great! You've got an outstanding social media program that is regularly converting likes into sales. Now you sit back and let the well-oiled machine run itself. Right? Wrong! Stand still and die. It's true for sharks, and it's true for business. Your website was outdated the day it came online. The same goes for the rest of your social media campaigns. You should incorporate enough of the latest trends to be fresh and relevant, without losing your identity.

If you avoid these deadly sins, then your social media program will flourish and your business will prosper. Have questions? We're here to help contact us.