Social media has provided an easy and convenient way for entrepreneurs to reach out to their customers. Marketing through a social media platform is different from traditional methods due to the bidirectional nature of the advertiser-consumer relationship. Its ultimate goal is not to merely create awareness, but to generate interest in the product by initiating a conversation with consumers and between the consumers themselves.
However, it’s not as easy as it sounds and many entrepreneurs have gone back to the drawing board with more questions than answers after failed campaigns. Below, we’ll look at the five worst mistakes that entrepreneurs can make.
1. Lacking a Strategy
A marketing campaign is more like a military one, as in a strategy (or lack thereof) determines who goes back home alive. Many people believe that social media is just about posting photos and videos or links to your website and that’s where they go wrong. You need a clear strategy that states a clear goal, time frame and how you plan to accomplish it. Marketing education can be helpful in formulating this strategy, especially if you’re doing it on your own. You can get this education by taking an accredited online marketing degree.
2. Impatience
Any time you talk to a senior citizen, the most common topic they throw at you is how ‘today’s generation’ don’t have patience. In a way, they’re right, as most people nowadays don’t take the time to build relationships. Success depends on relationships with your customers and even if you haven’t taken an online bachelor of science in marketing, you should know your site won’t get traffic one week after launching a social media campaign. Social media is more about relationships than awareness, as your followers need to trust and feel important to you before joining your bandwagon.
3. Setting Unrealistic Expectations
Many new entrepreneurs have a tendency to set unrealistic expectations in the name of being ambitious. For example, thinking that through social media alone, they will be able to penetrate the whole country with their product. Nothing can be further than the truth; social media is just a platform for forming relationships and traditional methods are still by far the most effective marketing methods.
4. Not Engaging the Customers
Today’s consumers have more rights than previous years because they have direct access to you. They always have complaints or questions about your products or services that require your attention.Many entrepreneurs fail to realize that by not engaging their customers, they’re actually destroying relationships with them.
5. They Don’t Track
Most people don’t track the results of their social media efforts to find out how they people are responding to them. Simple things like knowing when your target demographic is most active can help you make the most of the time you spend on social media.
Social media is the easiest place entrepreneurs can find consumers these days, but that doesn’t mean they come on a silver platter; there are rules to be followed to get them on your side. However, if you have a well-thought out strategy and avoid the above mistakes, your campaign has a high chance of success.