For small to medium sized businesses the thought of social media can be daunting. It can feel very much like a journey into the unknown. I am not going to try and sell the benefits of social media; there are lots of other blogs out there to do that. If you are thinking of venturing into social media here are some tips on pifalls to avoid:
- Not referencing what you do e.g. what you offer, who are you offering it to and what makes you stand out from your competition.
- Badly sized logos that make your page look like it doesn’t matter to you.
- Not setting objectives – whether they be brand awareness / likes / sharing offers / encouraging people to visit your website.
- Not having a plan – what do you want to say / share how this fits with your other marketing activities
- Being selfish with your content. Don’t just talk about yourself.
- Using language that is not relevant to your audience, including bad spelling and grammar.
- Not knowing which platforms will work best for your audience and content.
- Not measuring your outputs against your objectives.
- Believing you will be able to achieve your objectives for free. Especially on Facebook.
- Your plans and objectives will evolve over time so don’t wait until you think all your social media plans are perfect. Sometimes near enough is good enough.
Sam Crosthwaite-Mboya – Client Service Manager
