Small business owners are discovering the power of social to promote their products and services every day. While tweeting or stumbling can be an excellent method of getting your business name out there and gathering fans, it is really only powerful when used correctly.
Unfortunately, many small business owners are eager to take part in this free method of promotion but fail to understand exactly how to make use of it. Here are some of the most common blunders made in social media.
1. Bookmarking every single blog post. Stick to promoting the best content you have and people will pay a lot more attention. As a side note, you should be bookmarking other people’s great content, too, not just your own.
2. Asking for help to promote a website or blog post. This is usually done once the post has been submitted to every social bookmarking site under the sun. Again, stick to only your best posts or people will quickly become jaded.
3. Add everyone as a friend. Having the most friends doesn’t mean you’ll get more clients. It does mean you will sort through more spam and if you spam thousands of people, you could destroy your business reputation.
4. Advertising in blog comments. Everyone loves a comment on their blog, but when you leave a business ad instead of a legit comment; many blog owners will just delete it or mark it as spam.
5. No image branding. Not only is your profile picture important on social media sites, but some allow you to have a background image that can be put to good use, as well, such as Twitter. Make sure you use the opportunity.
6. Leaving holes in your profiles. Completing all your social media profiles with all the important information (hobbies, your business info., etc.) helps you attract like-minded members but it also shows people that you’re not only here to spam.
7. Not interacting. Social media, by its very definition, requires interaction. If you are just posting and ignoring everyone else, you will end up with fewer interested followers.
8. Taking on too much. There are hundreds of social media sites, but you won’t be able to effectively use them all, or even a percentage of them. Stick to just 2-3 quality sites or get some help.
8. Taking on too much. There are hundreds of social media sites, but you won’t be able to effectively use them all, or even a percentage of them. Stick to just 2-3 quality sites or get some help.
9. Hard selling. Direct marketing can work in social media, but you need to create the relationships before you try and call on them. If you immediately start selling, no one is going to listen. You will be know as spammer and damage your reputation. Trust me, you cannot afford to do that with social media because the news spreads fast online.
10. Not measuring your results. You need to review your strategy and know what your goals are. Then through your metrics you have to see if you are meeting these goals. Otherwise, there really will be no reason to jump into social media.
Social media can make or break your business. With more and more consumers online these days, it is the perfect opportunity to present your small business as a human business and offer your services to a willing audience. Doing things the right way will pay off.
What other social media blunders you have seen businesses make?
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=1f904098-7965-41d2-aa17-77520fdfdff7)
