Mistakes to avoid in your social media strategy

Social media has become a marketer’s dream. The various platforms have brought together billions of people under one umbrella, creating easily accessible potential markets.

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs aren’t taking full advantage of the potential of social media.

Handling various social media accounts can be difficult to begin with, and before you figure your way around, you’re bound to make the following mistakes.

1. You focus more on selling and promoting products over helping customers

The key reason for your social media presence should be to get your customers to understand the benefits of the products or services you’re offering.

It’s normal to feel like you’re giving too much away at some point, but you need to offer insight into your brand promise if you want your customers to connect with you. Sometimes your potential clients don’t know they need what you’re offering – so show them how you’re solving their problems.

2. You ignore client feedback

This is especially common when it comes to negative feedback. But how would you know what you need to improve if all you want to receive is positive reviews?

Don’t scold your customers, and don’t ignore their negative comments either.

Keep it in mind that cherry-picking feedback denies your company the opportunity to grow and improve its services.

Also remember that replying to customer concerns draws users even closer to your brand and makes your platforms more interactive.

3. You expect too much from your efforts

We want quick, immediate and highly tangible results once we set up a social media presence.

However, launching a social media platform won’t lead to immediate sales or deals. You need patience to reap rewards.

You also need to select the right social media channels for your business. You don’t have to be everywhere. Focus on two or three channels where your customers hang out the most, and devote your time to slowly building rapport there.

4. You boast about the superiority of your services

Rather than infusing potential clients with confidence about how great your business is, you’re likely to come across as a proud and arrogant service provider.

Not everyone buys from a firm because it’s the best, especially not in a competitive industry that offers lots of choice. Don’t disparage others to build yourself up; it won’t work.

5. You lack a clear social media marketing objective

Don’t set up a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account without a clear idea of what you want to achieve.

Figure this out first so that your marketing is targeted and more effective. Ask yourself what marketing problems you’re looking to solve. Are you keen on growing your brand, driving traffic to your site or improving how you serve your customers? Understanding your objectives helps you focus.

6. You don’t know your potential customers

You can’t send out content to just anyone and hope to have an effective social media strategy.

Identify the customers you’re after, their buying behaviour, age, interests, location, and so on. This way, you can tailor your messages in a relatable way and avoid wasting your time online.

The writer is a marketing strategist at Mobi-Network Africa.

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