Continuing the discussion about Small Business Marketing mistakes. Shiny Object Syndrome gets in the way often. Here are numbers 3 and 4 of the 5 biggest.
Mistake #3…Not Knowing WHY You’re Using Social Media
Quick primer on the “Grand Slam” of Social Media Marketing:
Twitter: quick messages shared with the world
Facebook: everyone and anyone you’ve ever known sharing all sorts of personal and business stuff
YouTube: where the world goes to watch videos of all kinds
LinkedIn: a business networking tool that’s entirely online
Okay, now that that’s covered, do you, small business owner, know WHY you’re using any of these sites?
We had a chat recently with someone at a large company that we’ll call “Bob’s Fortune 500.” At Bob’s (for short), they were trying to figure out how to use Twitter to drive sales.
Sales of what? From whom? Who’s in charge of your Twitter time? Who’s gonna follow up?
Actually, the team at Bob’s deserves some credit. Not only did they name their company so that it’s near the top of the phone book, they also knew they wanted to sell SOMETHING using Social Media Marketing.
Some companies aren’t even THAT far along.
Smart companies – even really smart small businesses – don’t say “we need an EMAIL strategy.” They say stuff like “we need to drive more feet into the restaurant, even if we lose money, because once they try our Jambalaya they’ll rave about it and come back.”
THEN…figure out what to do with Social Media.
Mistake #4…Forgetting It’s NOT About You (with SMM)
“Engagement Marketing.”
Two-way sound to it, right? Me, customer, and you, company. Talking. Interacting.
Ignored by many, many, MANY small businesses.
Look, for instance, at the Twitter stream. Is it all a bunch of “broadcast messages?” Or are there “@ replies?” “RTs?”
When we’ve worked with Not-for-profits on their social media strategy, we’ll often advise the 30-day rule. Spend your first 30 days on any social media site just talking WITH people. About stuff that is not business-related.
Small business owners should consider the same. Getting into the habit of back-and-forths with people, of having a little (GASP) fun, of seeing what the world is talking about.
Once you form this habit of interacting and engaging, you will find that your Authentic Self shows through. (This isn’t mumbo-jumbo – if people can’t figure out what kind of person you are, they aren’t going to be all that likely to try your product or service.)
Twenty Mintues A Day Interacting, Engaging. That’s All We Ask.
This dovetails nicely with our next, and final mistake – one that can be crippling to any small business. See you tomorrow for that one.
Friendly reminder to check us out over at 12 Minute Marketing. More stuff like this. Delivered to you every day. The training you need, the bite size nuggets you have time for. Just the good stuff. Seriously.
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