The Small Business Advisor

Social media marketing is a great promotional tool, but be careful to avoid these common blunders:

1. Diving in without a plan. Before you begin your marketing campaign, think through what you are trying to achieve and which websites and marketing methods will be most likely to reach your target audiences. A social media marketing plan can include social networking, microblogging, online forums, virtual reader communities, expert sites, media sharing, interactive blogging, and more.

2. Focusing solely on attracting customers. Social marketing is a great place to meet potential customers and stay in touch with existing ones. But you may find it even more valuable for meeting and developing relationships with others in your field and influencers who can help spread the word about you.

3. Trying to do too many things at once. Prioritize your marketing plan and implement one thing at a time. Don’t try to be active on too many social networks and websites. Select a couple of sites as your primary networks, then develop profiles on several other sites that you will visit occasionally.

4. Spending too much time on social marketing while neglecting other tasks. It’s easy to get sucked into social sites and spend way too much time there. It’s best to set aside a specific amount of time each day for social marketing. If you budget an hour a day, you might spend 20 minutes on social networking at mid-day, spend 20 minutes in the evening on other social sites, and do several Twitter sessions during the day.

5. Sending friend invitations with no introduction. To increase the chance of acceptance and make a good first impression, always introduce yourself and say why you want to befriend the other person. Mention what you do, what you have in common with the other person, how you heard about them, etc.

6. Trying to “sell” on social sites. It’s okay to subtly promote yourself and your products as long as you do it sparingly. You don’t want to get a reputation as someone who just sends out sales pitches all the time. Add value to the community by sharing knowledge, ideas, and resources.

7. Forgetting the “social” part of social networking. Remember to be courteous and to thank anyone who answers a question or does you a favor. Don’t forget to inject some personality into your communications and make some personal posts. Share good news or ask for advice. Mention your hobbies, travels, kids, or pets, and link to a photo using services like Flickr or Twitpic.

If you keep these tips in mind, you’ll find that social media sites are great tools for building brand recognition and expert status, networking with peers and potential customers, and driving traffic to your website—all steps toward making sales.

Excerpted from Get Connected: Build Your Business With Online Networking, by Dana Lynn Smith, pictured above. www.GetConnectedBiz.com

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