We all know the hype surrounding social media and the benefits it can have for your small, or large, business. The beauty of social platforms is that you can reach a large audience organically (for free) in your own style and with complete creative control, however the world of Facebook, Instagram and other various sites is rapidly changing to be significantly more complicated and challenging for the everyday user.
Social media managers and strategists are popping up everywhere to assist business owners who lack time and the understanding of complex algorithms to effectively reach their target audience; boasting cost effective services for a side of your business that can be time consuming and ineffective if you get it wrong.
The larger your online presence, the more work you have to put into it to keep it running smoothly and maintain, and increase, your followers. And whilst this can establish your business and increase profitability, there are some ways Social Media can harm your business if you don’t get it right:
- Time Suck
- Wrong Message
- Dealing with Negative Comments Badly
- Detrimental If You Don’t Know How
- Scheduling Is Not Always Your Friend
1. Time suck
Social Media strategy takes time, lots of time. To understand your audience and the best way to run your social platform for maximum engagement and reach, you need to invest a significant amount of time in establishing your social media following. Not to mention the amount of time everyone spends procrastinating on social media, getting distracted by personal accounts or entertaining content that has nothing to do with your business. Experts suggest turning off notifications whilst working and checking accounts every 45-60 minutes for customer feedback and correspondence. Save the personal scrolling for breaks and out of hours and get yourself along to a social media strategy workshop to learn some time-saving techniques for your business accounts.
2. Wrong Message
Just like a text message on a mobile phone, a post comment or visual can be taken the wrong way by your customers and followers. Be very clear in your message and ask yourself if there are any underlying connotations or suggestions when you post a comment or upload a meme or quote to your page.
A good rule of thumb is if you wouldn’t shout it at the top of your voice in a crowded place – then don’t put it on social media.
3. Dealing with Negative Comments Badly
In the past, if your customers complained or had negative feedback, you
- Never heard about it however all their friends did
- You had the opportunity to deal with this discreetly and rectify the situation efficiently without bad publicity
Not anymore!
A negative comment or complaint on your social media platform can be seen by all your followers, both existing and potential, and need to be addressed just as quickly to demonstrate your customer service skills and desire for consumer satisfaction.
Some may argue that getting your name mentioned is better than being ignored, but bad service or experiences are not the way you want your business to be portrayed, or remembered.
Bad feedback can also be a blessing in disguise, it can identify a problem or perceived problem that can then be resolved and fixed.
4. Social Media can be Detrimental If You Don’t Know How!
Not quite savvy on Instagram algorithms or Facebook rules for promoting your product? Don’t know hashtags work or how to reply to comments or re-tweet? Social media is not about plonking your images or products on your page and watching the customers roll in; you have to understand the processes and what works best or things can start going south very quickly. Bad pictures will not portray your product in a favourable light, incorrect tagging and hashtags will mean your posts are lost in the sea of social media posts. There are thousands of businesses out there all competing for the top spot, you need to know what you are doing before your socials start working against you, rather than for you.
5. Scheduling Is Not Always Your Friend
You know what you are doing with regulations and algorithms, you know what your target audience wants and how to get it to them in the most appealing and effective manner. You sit down one weekend and schedule all your posts for the next 10 weeks, rejoicing that your socials will run themselves now. The trap of scheduling that far in advance and not keeping an eye on your posts is one many fall into, with even the biggest of companies forgetting their upcoming posts and not editing them to suit the changing business world or to reflect current events.
Scheduling gone wrong
One example is The National Rifle Association of America tweeting “Good Morning Shooters! Happy Friday!” on the morning after a mass shooting in a crowded theatre. – Whoops!
By all means schedule but keep an eye on your upcoming posts and edit when necessary.
Whilst social media is one of the best ways to spread brand awareness and engage with your customers, it can be extremely counter-productive if you don’t know how to manage it properly.
Need Help With Your Social?
The team at CATCO Enterprises can create an effective social media schedule for your business and can assist you in maintaining your social media accountants.
Want to know more? Call Cathy on 9797 0889 and get your social media working for your business today.
