3 Tips For Avoiding Social Media Marketing Failure
Posted by Marti Norberg on Thu, Jun 14, 2012
Have you been following all the tips, hints and “sure-fire” rules for implementing a super-successful social media marketing campaign – only to find it is not working? What you need are the three absolutely essential, vitally important, critically needed, can’t-do-without components I am about to give you!
Are you really, really organized?
If you feel like there is something new every day in the world of social media marketing, it's because there is something new every day! You need to be very organized to keep up with all the changes, additions, variations and updates while maintaining the marketing campaign strategies you have already planned and implemented.
You need to organize your social media marketing for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and you need to schedule time for each. Schedule time to blog, share, post, comment and interact.
You need to set an organized schedule and stick with that schedule. As new social media opportunities appear, you need to revamp your schedule. Schedule a time to review your schedule. Evaluate your social media marketing campaign and redo your schedule.
Get organized as to what you need to do when and in what order. Set specific times for replying to emails, for implementing new ideas, for researching your competition, for answering questions, for providing feedback or for asking for feedback -- and for reviewing your schedule.
Initially getting organized and setting schedules will be time consuming, and you will probably change your schedule several times before it starts running like a well-oiled machine. However, it will be well worth the time and effort in the end.
Does anyone want, need or even like what you have to sell?
An example I read about recently concerned a company that made dog food. They worked and worked on their social media marketing campaign. They followed all the tips and hints from marketing gurus. They tweaked, refined, and fine-tuned their social media messages until everything squeaked it was so tight. Still their campaign was not bringing in any business.
Turned out the problem was with the dogs themselves – they didn’t like the food! It did not matter how great this company’s social media campaign was, their “target market” just plain refused to eat the product.
Remember that old advertising saying about “trying to sell ice to Eskimos?” Well, this is the same concept. You not only need a great product idea, someone actually must have a need for that product.
Instead of starting with a great product idea and then looking for a market, you need to find the market first and create a product to the needs of that market. Do your research first to determine what people need based on what they enjoy, covet, lack and desire, or on what they exhibit an aversion to or a compulsion for. What causes frustration, concern or distress? Find out what people need and create a product to fill that need.
When you have a product people truly NEED, they will be sure to purchase what you have to offer. The same concept works for offering a service rather than a product. First determine what people need, then provide the service that fills that need.
Are you feeling sociable?
If you are not feeling friendly and sociable, it is not a good time to be working on your social media marketing campaign. The whole idea is being social – friendly and helpful.
This is not the time or place to be a pushy salesperson. You are not selling a product; you are offering to fill a need. You are not trying to tell people why they must buy what you have to sell – you are asking what you can do to help them with a problem.
Each social media platform was developed to meet a different need or for a specific function. They all have different looks, aspects and formats, but they are all intended for communication. You need to remember this concept and focus on plain and simple communication.
When you are communicating on social media, you need to remember the basic “social graces” your mother taught you – say thank you and please. Show your appreciation and ask permission to share. Be friendly and neighborly.
Remember, your social media efforts are not sales pitches, they are communications between friends and potential friends – who will eventually become customers because they want to be your customer and they want what you have to offer.