One of the biggest tools at the disposal of any small business is social media. Unfortunately, there are a lot of small businesses struggling with their social media profile. Usually, they’re well-intentioned and don’t understand what they’re missing. Here are a few mistakes that cause small business social media pages to fail.
Social Media Mistake: Inconsistency
The first reason is inconsistency. That can turn up in several ways. The biggest one is usually that a small business gets enthusiastic about social media or has a team member willing to take it on, then that team member leaves or the enthusiasm changes. When you’re busy, it’s hard to make social media a priority. Oftentimes, it’s the first thing to fall by the wayside. Plan, schedule out your content so that even when time is short, you have something going out automatically.
Social Media Mistake: Not having access
Make sure you know who has access to your social media and that there’s a plan in place should someone with access leave the company. If a social media account already exists, and you don’t have the password anymore, it will be difficult if not impossible to recover. Don’t lose the audience you built over time. Getting those people to find you again with a new username is going to be an uphill battle.
Social Media Mistake: Not following the rules of the platform
Follow the rules of the platform you’re posting on. Don’t have a personal page for your business on Facebook. Make sure it’s a business page. At any point, Facebook has the right to ask for proof of identification on a personal page. You’ll lose those connections if they shut down your page. There are more features as a business. For example, scheduling calendar and analytics. Make sure you have a business page and use those to your advantage. The rules aren’t just the basics of how to properly set up an account though. There are also etiquette rules involved with each platform. For instance, don’t add links to your captions on Instagram, unless they’re easy to type in, because they aren’t clickable. Keep in mind that the rules change. Social media platforms are constantly updating. Do your best to stay up-to-date and learn as much as you can about each platform that you’re on if you want to succeed. Some small businesses think that learning about social media is just for big businesses or marketing firms. It should be a part of a small-scale strategy as well.
Social Media Mistake: Not engaging with your audience
Getting consistent, rule-abiding content is the hard part. Once that’s done, a lot of small businesses breathe a sigh of relief and decide they don’t need to think about social media anymore. Unfortunately, that’s just not true. Social media is increasingly an extension of your customer service. If someone emailed your company a question, you’d want to respond. The same applies for comments and messages.
Even if a comment is something basic like saying, “Beautiful” on a picture of design, a response like, “We hope you can try it out,” helps to foster good feelings. When you’re a small business, your community is more important than ever. Your audience wants to feel important and like they know you. Engage with your audience. Don’t let things go ignored. It’s especially important for damage control. Leaving a comment sitting out there from an upset customer is not only a bad way to treat the commenter, but it also shows others viewing your page that this comment has been unaddressed. They might start to believe the negativity too. A positive response makes a huge difference.
Social Media Mistake: Expecting people to find your page organically
Some small businesses take the “up and running” approach to social media. Just because the page is up and running, they expect that people will just find their profile organically. That rarely happens. You should encourage people who come into your business, read your emails, visit your website, or otherwise engage with you to also check out your various social media profiles. Add your social icons to your business card and your email signature. Don’t be afraid to get creative when getting your social media pages out there.
Lastly, you can always hire a professional. There are many services out there for every budget and bracket. Check out the packages offered from www.digitllc.net
