One of the biggest mistakes I see small business owners make when it comes to social media is trying it and stopping. I call it the one and done effect. This is a common problem of someone not getting instant gratification. Most people require instant gratification it's a human nature, we want to see immediate results when we do things. The thing with social media marketing is that there really is no such thing as instant gratification. That's because social media is about relationships, and building relationships takes time.
A good social media campaign starts with a plan, so what is your plan for social media?
Let me give you some examples of why you should be using social media in your business:
- You want to bridge the gap between your company and your customers
- You want to position your business as an expert in your industry
- You want to share news and events from within your company and/or industry
- You want to develop a customer service avenue that expands outside your existing program
- You want to create a forum for your happy customers or evangelists to voice their happiness
These are just a few pretty common uses of social media as a business tool. The most important thing is to keep informational and try and make it a two way conversation, avoid the traps of using it as a broadcasting medium. That's the old way of thinking and brings in very few results.
