Social media is more effective when you're not making mistakes. Mistakes are costly. The best case scenario is you get nervous because management is breathing down your neck for bottom line results. The worst case scenario is you get fired for making a social media mistake.
Social media investment is expected to increase among B2B companies (Source: Worldcom Public Relations, 2011). And with that, so does the cost of failure. The lack of competency in three areas is preventing companies from truly getting the most from their social media programs. It's holding back social media success. Whether you're a social media practitioner or still on the sidelines, your business needs solid strategies to minimize risk, maximize results, and get the most out of social media efforts.
For B2B companies new to social media, you get credit for being there. But social media is more than just having a presence - you need to avoid the pitfalls. Are you making any of the following three dangerous B2B social media mistakes?
Not creating new and engaging content
I've seen research that says 80% of tweets are links to published content. If you're not constantly creating new content, you're missing out on getting found online and getting shared. You absolutely need a business blog and you should be blogging at least several times a month. The more you blog, the more traffic (and leads) you'll get. Businesses that blog four or more times per week see the biggest increase in traffic and leads.
Not effectively aligning social media efforts with traditional marketing
We see this all the time. A company puts a QR code on a billboard and calls it integrated marketing. Or they have a Facebook Page and think they're "doing" social media. Wrong. Start with the customer in mind. What are their needs? What are their pain points? Know your audience first, make sure you're delivering value to them, and keep your messaging consistent across all channels. Social media should be integrated across your entire business - not only with marketing - but customer service, sales, and product development.
Not measuring the impact of social media
We are firm believers that businesses can't manage what they don't measure. First examine the challenges your business is facing and then use the right tools (social media or otherwise) to address those specific issues. The course of action taken should be measured with the same scrutiny as traditional marketing efforts. Check out social media metrics by Jim Sterne for some social media KPI's you can measure against specific business goals.
What are the biggest mistakes you see in social media marketing?