Promotion on social networks is a tricky business: every year some trends attract a new audience to your brand, while others do not bring results and fade into the background. For example, if previously you had to regularly post content to promote your Instagram account, in 2019 this is not enough.
In this article, we will consider 6 main mistakes in promoting a business on social networks.
You don't know your target audience
The goal of SMM promotion is to attract new customers and show your existing audience that you are a master of your craft and better than your competitors. It’s important to define your audience and not spread yourself all over the place. Otherwise, why promote your coffee shop posts to football fans?
One of the best tactics for defining your target audience is to create a customer avatar. A visual avatar allows you to better tailor your content to the customer. The likelihood of them buying your product is much higher if the customer feels cared for and understood. Therefore, the more details, the more chances to customize content for customers.
Learn more abouthow to determine the target audience
When creating a customer avatar, analyze:
- socio-demographic information (gender, age, marital status, profession, interests);
- needs (what values are important, how will your product help the customer solve problems, what ways to solve the problem exist, and why your offer is better than others);
- behavioral characteristics (what social networks and resources does the customer visit);
- decision-making factor (does the customer make a purchase logically or emotionally, by what criteria does the customer choose a store: good service, free shipping, or availability of goods).
There is no clear content plan and publication schedule
The rule “more posts — more customers” has long ceased to work. If you have a lot of content, do not rush to share it. We recommend that you focus better on the quality of posts: improve the quality of images, and create readable and interesting texts so that users “swallow” your posts. Develop a content plan for publications for a month, taking into account 1-2 publications per day and beyond. In addition, the social network takes into account the number of likes and reposts, so if your post is popular, but was made 5 days ago, it will be at the top of the feed.
Posting time is an important indicator, especially when it comes to Instagram accounts. Publish content when most customers are online. This way, the reach of your publication views will be greater. It is also important to consider the type of content. For example, it is unlikely that users will read long reads during working hours. Such material is suitable for reading while traveling on public transport or after work.
If you forget to post content, we recommend using deferred posting services. This way, posts will be published on time, and you will not have to spend time on this every day.
Do not run advertising
Advertising is an essential tool for promoting your business on networks. If you think that just one posting is enough to attract a new audience, get ready to spend three lifetimes promoting your channel or immediately put an end to your account's reputation.
You have probably seen Facebook's offers to promote interesting posts to increase audience reach. Test this feature and evaluate the result. After all, the cost of promotion is only a few dollars. By the way, similar functions are available in all popular social networks. This method of advertising allows you to show your content to a wide range of people, even if they are not interested in it. We recommend using targeted advertising so that only your target audience sees your posts.
Read also: 10 main advertising campaigns on Facebook
Your attention is focused on one network
Imagine that Andriy uses Instagram, Zhenya uses Telegram, and Kostya sits on YouTube, chats on Telegram, and likes photos on Instagram. You might think that Kostya is an ideal client: he follows the news on all popular social networks and does not prefer anyone, as others do.
Maybe Kostya is really your potential client, but there is a possibility that he is not interested in your products, Andriy loves handmade leather, so he subscribed and likes your page.
We recommend that you determine in test mode on which platforms your product is in demand. Maybe your audience only uses Instagram, or maybe all social networks at once.
You should approach the choice of content seriously because the same content on all social networks can both benefit and make customers unsubscribe. For example, Andriy would subscribe to your YouTube page if the content was not duplicated. But Kostya will ignore your publications on all social networks because he is simply not interested in the products.
Choose several social networks to attract potential customers, and develop an individual strategy and content for each platform.
Don't create video content
Video content is a more effective tool than photos and articles. You don't need to shoot a video professionally, just the opposite: just turn on the camera and start broadcasting. Users love live videos that are shot on the fly.
Not interacting with your followers
Remember, the main purpose of social media is to communicate. Feel free to ask your followers questions and respond to their comments, even if they are angry. Show your audience that you listen to criticism, are ready to improve the quality of your work, and respect them. This way you will better understand your customers and their interests.
Conclusions
In 2019, your social media account is the face of your brand. Our recommendations will make your social media pages effective, help you attract potential customers, and, accordingly, increase sales.
