A large percentage of articles you read pertaining to social media advertising are going to illustrate a lot of the same points, such as the gargantuan size of social media and the low-cost advertising options – and rightly so. These are huge benefits for every business. But knowing the positive reasons you should join isn’t going to get you but so far.
You also have to be aware of other aspects of social media. Every company operating online needs to take a few moments to consider some things they may not have a firm grip on or may not know anything about.
Unless you’re actually aware of the many pitfalls associated with social marketing on sites like Facebook, you’re going to end up falling on your face. There’s no doubt about it. So read up on a few of the things you should consider prior to starting your social media campaign.
What Constitutes Social-Friendly Advertising
There is a monumental difference between providing quality material and meaningful messages, and in sending out spam to users. Even if you don’t think you’re actually spamming people, this is something better judged by the recipient and not the sender. So it becomes important that you tone down your campaign in this regard. Do not send unsolicited personal messages. Do not flood people’s pages or even your own page with material. Treat every piece of material you release as if it’s exclusive.
What Makes a Winning Promotion
Facebook has a ton of guidelines when it comes to running a promotion, but some brands still try to find ways around them in the hopes of making a bigger splash. The idea behind operating a promotion should be to induce more signups within your network and to help get more brand exposure. You only need to offer something of value for the exchange. In other words, keep it aimed more toward an actual contest and not a lotto. You want to attract your core market to your promotion, not random gamblers.
What Stands as Good Dialogue
Engagement is something extremely important in online marketing, especially when dealing with the likes of Facebook. Engagement can mean sharing your material and taking some sort of directed action, or it can mean actually engaging with people in dialogue. But what stands as acceptable dialogue with your fans? You have to remain true to your core principles of business. You cannot become the equivalent of a teenage socialite using the site with broken English, horrific grammar and an affinity for numerous abbreviations. You also cannot engage in the “troll wars,” where you bicker back and forth with people who are negative.
What it Means to Create a Network
Facebook doesn’t want to admit it, but social media is a whole lot bigger than their site. A proper social media campaign will take advantage of the king, but also of all the princes and princesses out there, and even the jesters. Creating a social media network means creating multiple social profiles and interlinking them together. As you focus on the quality control and the branding of your entire network, including your main site, you can begin to drive traffic to and from a multitude of locations, and your brand exposure and ranking will increase across the net at large.
What Pandering and Patronizing Gets You
A brand that’s shaking in its boots about offending anyone will quickly fade away. A few years ago, in the real world, ADT Security faced some controversy simply because they didn’t want to offend. Their genius idea was to exclude minorities from their home security commercials because they didn’t want to give the impression that minorities would be associated with home burglaries. Well, most people can realize how insulting this is. It isn’t the type of overly politically correct attitude to carry in business. Don’t patronize people; don’t treat people like they’re too stupid or too frail.
Social media offers a lot of opportunity that most businesses have never before experienced. It’s not brand new, but the bloom is still on the rose, and most sites are consistently updating their networks. Getting in on the trend now will help you to stake your claim, but you also need to take a measured, educated approach to social branding.
