5 Ways Social Media is Hurting Your Business

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Social media: it’s the hot new buzzword in marketing. There’s much potential in a social media marketing plan, but there are also ways it can hurt your business. Learn five things you should look out for in social media.

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1. Not responding - Social media is all about transparency, and customers know that with social media, they have a much more direct line to companies. Not responding to comments (positive and negative alike) is the number one thing you can do on social media that will actively harm your business. It’s especially important to respond to negative messages, because they can go “viral” quickly and can turn into a PR nightmare.
2. Using the wrong platforms – There are dozens of social media platforms out there, and while they are free, easy and tempting, they aren’t all right for your business. Do research on target demographics of each platform and find out which platform your ideal customers are using. It’s better to use a couple social media platforms well than a dozen poorly.
3. Appearing unprofessional – Social media is often an afterthought for companies, and many fire off tweets or posts without much though. This can lead to unprofessional sounding messages without any strategic though, as well as typos, grammatical mistakes and poorly received messages that could lead to negative feedback.
4. Inconsistent branding – Your social media profiles should match the branding and voice of your company, and if not, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Think of social media marketing the same as traditional marketing – you’d never print a brochure without your logo, right? Social media profiles should be the same. Use a boilerplate blurb for your bios and keep them the same on all platforms.
5. Infrequency or over-frequent posts – There’s a fine line in social media between too much and not enough. You must post very frequently to be effective – at least once every business day on Facebook and at least two times a day on Twitter at minimum. Less, and your messages will get lost in the fray. On the other hand, too many messages can appear spammy and clog up your fans and followers streams. Make a plan for your social media posts and stick with it.

About the Author:

When Steven Taylor isn’t writing about technology and business solutions, you can find him reviewing Time Warner Cable’s business class phone services. Visit their website for more information.